


Glamour

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Series: Memento Mori [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Actually everyone is suffering, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Oikawa is suffering, but it happened anyway, other characters will be tagged as they appear, the fae au no one asked for, the warnings are there for a reason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 18:55:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 41,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6483118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa is a powerful young fae with incredible skill with water magic, poised to join the Autumn Court alongside his friend and lover, the fire fae Iwaizumi. Unfortunately, the Winter Court has plans for the future, and they include Oikawa.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Allegience

"Oikawa, you'll be joining the Winter Court," announced the flat, serious voice of the current Winter Lord, Ushijima. Oikawa glared up at him, fingers clenched into fists defiantly. 

"I'm going to join the Autumn Court," Oikawa snapped. Ushijima stepped closer, and Oikawa backed up. Distance wouldn't really help him if Ushijima attacked, he knew, but that didn't mean it wasn't a good idea. "Lord Kuroo already said I'll have a place there when I formally request it tomorrow."

"Your talents are needed in the Winter Court," Ushijima insisted. Oikawa started to protest, to repeat that he wasn't joining Ushijima's court, but a blast of icy wind knocked him back, pressed him to the wall. Oikawa hissed as his wings were pinned painfully between his body and the wall. The ground, which had been solid stone tiles a moment before, suddenly shifted, becoming almost liquid, and Oikawa sank to his ankles before the stone solidified again, trapping him. Oikawa reached for his own magic, drawing on the water in the air, but manacles of ice formed around his wrists and pinned his hands to the wall. The cold on his skin distracted him. "You are young and undisciplined, but you have undeniable power. That power will be mine," Ushijima said calmly, stepping closer until he loomed over Oikawa. "I know you only want to join that fool Kuroo because he's planning to accept you and your lover, that fire fae Iwaizumi. Your power is better used under my command, without Iwaizumi's flames to distract you."

"I'll never join you," Oikawa snapped, scowling. "I'll be a solitary fae before I'll join you." Ushijima gripped Oikawa's chin and tugged, tilting his head so Ushijima could stare into his face more directly.

"You seem to be under the impression that I'm  _asking_ you to join my Court," Ushijima said quietly. "That's a mistake. I am telling you that you will regret it if you decide to be stubborn and cling to your pride and your lover." Oikawa sneered and tried to jerk out of Ushijima's hold, but the Winter Lord's grip was too strong.

"What are you going to do, follow me around and keep telling me I should've come to the Winter Court?" he snapped, hoping his words would cover the awful helpless feeling that being unable to even escape the grip on his jaw sent rushing through him. Ushijima smiled, and the expression was so foreign on his normally stoic face that Oikawa shuddered.

"No. If you don't formally request to align yourself with the Winter Court tomorrow, I will take your friend's fire magic, extinguish it, and then bury him alive somewhere no one will find him in time. Then any fire magic he tries will only drain what little air he has and kill him faster." Oikawa paled and went still in Ushijima's grip. 

"This isn't about Iwa-chan, so leave him out of it. You can't hurt him just because I don't do what you want," Oikawa whispered, fear for Iwaizumi flooding his mind. Ushijima raised an eyebrow.

"Can't I? You're ranked above him in power and skill. You'll be choosing first. That means that if you ask to join the Autumn Court, Iwaizumi will still be an unaligned fae. If he vanishes, everyone will assume he couldn't choose a Court and left to become solitary. You'll be the only one who will miss him, and you'll be the only one to know what happened to him. But even if you tell someone, no one will believe you. Everyone will think you're just trying to make sense of why your fire fae would leave you," the Winter Lord told him steadily. Oikawa wanted to scream, to insist that someone would listen. But if he accused the ruler of the Winter Court, Ushijima would just deny it, and no one would believe a young, inexperienced fae over a Lord. Despair and hopelessness swept over him, and Oikawa hung his head as Ushijima released him and stepped back. "Even if the two of you run from the Courts and become solitary fae, I will find you, and I will punish Iwaizumi for your defiance. But if you join me, your fire fae will be safe. He'll join the Autumn Court, where he will thrive and become the foot soldier he's meant to be. Meanwhile, you will flourish under my command, fulfilling your potential." Oikawa was silent. "What is your decision, Oikawa? Will you choose pride and join the Autumn tomorrow, or will you choose your friend's life and join Winter?"

"I guess you'll find out tomorrow, won't you?" Oikawa replied bitterly. 

"I want an answer now," Ushijima told him calmly. Oikawa didn't answer at first. He had resisted pledging to align with Winter for most of his life, had planned to join whatever Court Iwaizumi chose. Winter had become stronger, darker since Ushijima became Lord. Members of that Court weren't allowed to make friends with fae from other Courts, were completely under the Lord's thumb to contain any thoughts of defecting or trying to usurp Ushijima. Oikawa had never wanted to lose his freedom by joining Winter, and he knew Iwaizumi would never be happy in Winter, even if Ushijima wasn't the Lord. Oikawa wanted to refuse, to tell Ushijima that Lord Kuroo of Autumn would believe him, but...how could he keep resisting when it might cost Iwaizumi his life? How could Oikawa place his own freedom over Iwaizumi's safety?

"I'll join you tomorrow," Oikawa whispered, keeping his head bowed. Ushijima must have been satisfied with this, because the ice around his wrists melted and the stone around his feet liquefied again, letting him step out onto a more stable section of the tile. 

"I knew you would make the right choice," Ushijima told him. Then the Winter Lord vanished in a burst of wind and ice crystals. Oikawa stared down at his wrists, where a few droplets of water were all that remained of Ushijima's ice magic. His fingers curled into fists, and a shudder ran through his body. 

 _He knew Iwa-chan was my weakness,_ Oikawa thought bitterly.  _I shouldn't have expected the Lord of the Winter Court to play fair._

"Oikawa! There you are!" Iwaizumi's familiar voice washed over Oikawa, and while normally hearing his best friend would have made Oikawa relax, this time it filled him with dread.

"Iwa-chan," he whispered. Iwaizumi jogged up to him, bright sparks trailing from his wings, a relieved smile tugging at his lips.

"I was looking for you," Iwaizumi told him. "Hanamaki and Matsukawa invited us to the Waterfall Garden, remember?" Oikawa nodded and tried to smile, but the expression ended up more scared than cheerful. "Oikawa, what's wrong?" Oikawa hesitated, struggling to push away the lingering dread and terror from Ushijima's visit. 

"I'm fine," Oikawa insisted, hoping Iwaizumi wouldn't notice the way Oikawa's voice shook. Oikawa didn't know how to tell Iwaizumi that he'd just agreed to join the Winter Court.

"No, you're not. What happened?" Iwaizumi demanded, taking Oikawa's hands in his own. Iwaizumi's touch was warm, just like always, and the familiar, soothing heat of his hands simultaneously grounded Oikawa and distracted him enough that he spoke without thinking.

"Ushijima told me to join the Winter Court," Oikawa said. Iwaizumi frowned, but his fingers around Oikawa's stayed relaxed and comforting.

"He's been trying to recruit you for ages," Iwaizumi pointed out, keeping his voice even and soothing. He could see how shaken Oikawa was, and since yet another demand of allegiance from Ushijima didn't usually cause this kind of reaction in Oikawa, Iwaizumi knew that something was different this time. "Did he hurt you?" the fire fae demanded, scowling. It would be easier to agree, to let Iwaizumi think that Oikawa was acting like this because of some kind of physical pain, but Oikawa had never been able to lie to Iwaizumi. 

"He said that if I don't join him, he'll kill you," Oikawa said quietly, the words barely audible. Iwaizumi heard anyway, and his fingers clenched around Oikawa's hands.

"Tooru, no," Iwaizumi whispered, pulling Oikawa closer to him and wrapping his arms around him. "You can't."

"I have to," Oikawa replied. "I can't risk him hurting you. Besides, it's not like we'll never see each other again. I'll slip out of the Winter Palace whenever I can. It won't be the same, but-"

"Tooru, please don't do this. Even if he is the Winter Lord, Ushijima can't-"

"He can, and he will. Iwa-chan, please, if there was a way out, I would take it, but I don't see one. He's too strong, too high-ranking," Oikawa said, hanging his head, tears beginning to prick at the corners of his eyes. "Even if we try to run away and become solitary, he'll find us and he'll hurt you. Joining him is the only way to keep you safe." Iwaizumi's mind raced, searching for something he could say or do to comfort Oikawa, to convince him to at least try to resist Ushijima one last time. But as Oikawa's shoulders began to shake, and his tears fell to Iwaizumi's shoulder, the fire fae still didn't know how to make this better.

"We'll get through this," Iwaizumi said at last, rubbing comforting circles into Oikawa's back, just above his wings. "Somehow." Oikawa didn't reply, and Iwaizumi didn't know what else to say. 

They didn't meet their friends in the Waterfall Garden after all. Instead, they spent the rest of the day just the two of them, hiding from the world, and the next day, when the fae who were eligible to join the Courts that year presented themselves one by one to the four Lords, Oikawa asked to join and was accepted into Winter, while Iwaizumi took the place he'd been offered in Autumn. 

Despite his plans to sneak out to visit Iwaizumi, Oikawa didn't leave the Winter Palace for months. In fact, the next time they saw each other was almost a whole year later, and when Iwaizumi smiled and started toward Oikawa, thrilled to finally see his lover again, Oikawa just turned an walked away, his expression frozen in the cold, aloof mask of the Winter Court. Iwaizumi's smile vanished, and he reluctantly returned to his fellow Autumn fae, feeling like his heart had just been torn out, because as much as Oikawa tried to appear cool and serene as he turned away from the person he'd given up everything to protect, Iwaizumi had seen the depths of Oikawa's pain in his eyes. 


	2. Autumn Coup

Iwaizumi strode toward Kuroo's suite at the end of the eastern wing of the Autumn palace, his wings trailing faint green sparks as he stalked down the hall. Yamaguchi, Kuroo's nervous assistant, had burst into the courtyard garden Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki were relaxing before their turn in the neighboring courtyard, used for magical combat. Yamaguchi had stammered something about magic and shouts coming from Kuroo's rooms, so Iwaizumi had ordered Hanamaki and Matsukawa to secure the palace while Iwaizumi went to the Lord's suite.

Even though the other two had been in the Autumn Court longer than Iwaizumi, the fire fae had climbed the ranks quickly in the years since he'd joined, and now stood as the third strongest member of the Court. Only Kuroo and his second in command, Tendou, were stronger. As Iwaizumi approached Kuroo's room, he heard a shout, and a burst of ice shards blew Kuroo's door out into the hallway. Iwaizumi charged forward, incinerating the door and melting the ice with a burst of flames before any of the projectiles could hit him. Iwaizumi stepped into Kuroo's suite and froze. Tendou, wings twitching in excitement, was crouched over Kuroo, who lay sprawled on the ground on his stomach, blood pouring from two gaping slashes on his back where his wings had been. His eyes were closed, and Iwaizumi couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. 

"What the fuck are you doing?" Iwaizumi roared, flinging his hand out. Flames surged toward Tendou, who dodged neatly. The motion separated him from Kuroo, but Tendou landed on his feet, unharmed. Mist swirled around him as he faced Iwaizumi.

"I'm becoming the Lord of the Autumn Court," Tendou answered, tilting his head as though confused by Iwaizumi's lack of understanding. "Kuroo doesn't have a place in my plans for the future, and I need his power, so I'm getting him out of the way." Iwaizumi advanced on the water fae, brilliant emerald flames swirling around him. "Are you going to challenge me? That's so...boring," Tendou sighed. Iwaizumi shot another stream of flames at him, and when Tendou dodged, Iwaizumi darted forward and crouched beside Kuroo. Flames spun around them, keeping Tendou at bay only because he seemed to be hanging back, amused, as Iwaizumi felt for a pulse. Iwaizumi relaxed when he found it, faint and unsteady, but there. Kuroo was still alive, even though the bloody wounds on his back told him the Autumn Lord wouldn't last much longer. 

"This is going to hurt, and I really hope it doesn't kill you," Iwaizumi muttered under his breath. Then he brought a hand to Kuroo's back and sent a wave of green fire over the wounds, cauterizing them to stop the blood flow. Kuroo's body twitched, and a broken scream left his mouth. Iwaizumi flinched, and the flames vanished. Kuroo was limp, unconscious again. Iwaizumi let his protective flames fade and looked around for Tendou.

"Did you kill him the rest of the way? That's no fun," Tendou complained, appearing right in front of Iwaizumi, Kuroo's unmoving form between them. Iwaizumi hissed, sending more flames surging toward the water fae, who calmly blocked with a thick coating of mist around himself. An instant later, when Tendou let his mist vanish, Iwaizumi was already scooping Kuroo into his arms and running past Tendou, to the wall of windows overlooking one of the Autumn Court's gardens. Iwaizumi used a burst of flames to break the glass, then leaped through the window, beating his wings furiously as he tried to fly while carrying another fae. Iwaizumi angled away from the Court, trying to put as much distance between himself and Tendou as he could.

A shard of ice narrowly missed Iwaizumi's wings, announcing that Tendou was following them. Iwaizumi hissed and tilted to the left, toward the Spring Palace, he realized. Another ice shard whistled through the air, this one slicing through the delicate membrane of Iwaizumi's wing. The fire fae hissed in pain and wavered in flight. He dove, hoping to land in the Spring gardens and maybe hide Kuroo somewhere. Another ice shard tore through his wing, then another. Iwaizumi dropped like a stone, a scream ripping from his throat. Iwaizumi hit the ground an instant later, and everything went dark. 

The next thing Iwaizumi knew, a soft voice was urging him to wake up. He forced his eyes open and stared up at a silver-haired fae with shimmering silver-white wings.

"Lord Sugawara?" Iwaizumi rasped, recognizing the current Spring Lord. 

"Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid the healing magic wouldn't take. Sometimes it doesn't work very well on fire fae," Sugawara explained. "Loosing two of the three most powerful fae in the Autumn Court would be terrible." Iwaizumi surged upright, a desperate cry in his throat. Two of three...

"Lord Kuroo! Where is he?" Iwaizumi demanded, looking around frantically, ignoring the stinging pain in his wings and the uncomfortable soreness in his body from the ice shards and the resulting fall to earth. He was in a room he didn't recognize, on a bed.

"I'm sorry," Sugawara said quietly, resting a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. Iwaizumi stared at him, not understanding - not  _wanting_ to understand. "Kuroo is gone." 

"No. No, he was alive," Iwaizumi protested. "I was..."

"He's gone," Sugawara insisted gently. Iwaizumi dropped his face into his hands and bit back a scream of frustration. He'd failed. Again. He'd been a fool to think he'd be able to save Kuroo. He hadn't been able to convince Oikawa not to join Winter all those years ago; how could Iwaizumi expect to protect Kuroo from Tendou?

Tendou.

"What about Tendou? Where is he?" Iwaizumi asked. 

"I'm right here," the water fae announced, appearing beside him. Iwaizumi jumped and snarled, both at the resulting pain in his wings and at seeing the man who had attacked Kuroo. "I'm so glad you're awake, Iwaizumi. I'm going to need your help to guide our Court through this terrible time, after all."

"What the fuck?" Iwaizumi hissed, scowling. He reached for his magic, ready to incinerate Tendou's awful, traitorous face, but the magic didn't answer his call. 

"Please relax," Sugawara murmured. "We temporarily drained your magic so the healing spell would have a better chance of working correctly." Iwaizumi's scowl darkened.

"Could you give us a moment, Lord Sugawara?" Tendou asked respectfully. Sugawara hesitated, glancing worriedly at Iwaizumi, then nodded and left. As soon as the door closed behind him, Tendou seized Iwaizumi's throat and slammed him down onto the bed, looming over him. Agony flared in Iwaizumi's still-damaged wings, and he tried to shove the other fae off of him, but Tendou just tightened his grip until Iwaizumi was struggling for air. "Listen here, Iwaizumi. Kuroo is dead, and I'm the new Lord of the Autumn Court. You have two choices: you can have a sudden relapse and die from your injuries - which you acquired while valiantly protecting Kuroo from the Summer Court assassin that attacked him, by the way - or you can swear to serve me loyally as my second in command, and make a full recovery from this tragic incident." Iwaizumi went limp, his vision starting to swim, and Tendou loosened his grip on Iwaizumi's neck. "Choose now, Iwaizumi," Tendou ordered. Iwaizumi took several ragged breaths, fighting to think.

If he died, no one would know that Tendou was the one who had attacked Kuroo. Iwaizumi had to survive, so someone would know the truth. 

"I'll swear to serve you," Iwaizumi rasped finally. 

"Swear now," Tendou snapped. "Before Lord Sugawara decides to check on us." Iwaizumi considered trying to stall until the Spring Lord returned, but he'd already seen one fae lord bleeding out from having his wings ripped off by Tendou, and he didn't want to risk the same thing happening to Sugawara.

"All right," Iwaizumi agreed bitterly. "I swear to obey your orders, protect you from your enemies, and achieve whatever goals you thought were so important that you had to murder your lord. Are you satisfied now?"

"Just remember that a fae's word is binding," Tendou warned. "If you try to break your oath, your own flames will turn on you and devour you." Iwaizumi grimaced.

"I know that," he snapped. 

"Good. Then get up," Tendou ordered. "We have to go back to the Autumn Palace and handle the situation there. By the way, the story is that a Summer assassin attacked Kuroo. You and I fought him, and you tried to get Kuroo to safety, but you were both ambushed at the edge of the Spring gardens. Kuroo, already gravely injured, sadly passed away. You and I will be leading the Autumn Court from now on, me as the Lord and you as my loyal second in command." Iwaizumi wondered if this was how Oikawa felt when he joined Ushijima in the Winter Court, because Iwaizumi felt helpless, like he was drowning, like the world was crumbling around him. Kuroo was dead. Tendou would undoubtedly be confirmed as the new Lord of the Autumn Court, and Iwaizumi had just sworn to obey him. "Don't tell anyone anything that would contradict that story, okay?" Iwaizumi grimaced, but nodded. 

"I won't," he said quietly. Tendou grinned. 

"Great! Let's go, then!" Iwaizumi obediently got to his feet, trying to ignore the lingering ache in most of his body and the sharper pain in his wings. "This turned out even better than the king said it would," Tendou murmured to himself. Iwaizumi tilted his head.

"King?" Iwaizumi repeated, trying to sound curious instead of wary and resentful. Because although he was shocked to hear Tendou reference a king, since the fae hadn't had a single ruler since the Courts formed centuries ago, it wasn't curiosity or the comforting warmth of his magic or the danger of what would happen if he broke his oath to Tendou that burned inside Iwaizumi. He burned with a deep pain, the old, dull agony of having lost Oikawa years ago now brought up fresh, renewed and compounded by the loss of one of the few people Iwaizumi had allowed himself to get close to since joining the Autumn Court. 

"You'll find out more when you meet him, and his strategist," Tendou replied. "No more questions. We have work to do."

* * *

 

In the Winter Palace, at the top of am elegant, spiraling tower, Oikawa looked out over the Winter Gardens, waiting for his spy to return. Just as Oikawa was beginning to wonder if his spy had been caught, the sound of fae wings caught his attention. Oikawa stepped back from the open window, and a small fae with two-toned blond and dark brown hair flew in and landed daintily in front of Oikawa. 

"Welcome back, Kenma," Oikawa greeted him. The smaller fae didn't answer. Oikawa studied him for a moment, taking in the endless pain in Kenma's golden eyes as the fae's wings drooped against his back. "Tendou succeeded, then?" Kenma nodded, and Oikawa sighed. "I'm sorry, Kenma. If we could have avoided it, I would have found a way." 

"Iwaizumi survived," Kenma whispered. Oikawa didn't react.

"That's fortunate. Ushijima's plan will go much more smoothly this way," Oikawa replied. Kenma frowned, but Oikawa remained calm, even cold, as he turned to the other two fae in the room. "Yahaba, Akaashi, I want you two to review our plans in light of Iwaizumi's survival and Tendou's success. I will inform Ushijima. And Kenma..." The little spy looked up, grief swirling in his golden gaze. "Take the rest of the day off, okay?" Kenma nodded, and Akaashi and Yahaba bowed. Oikawa turned and made his way down the tower, to Ushijima's rooms. Hopefully, Ushijima would actually agree with Oikawa that Iwaizumi's survival was convenient for their plans. If the Winter Lord disagreed...if he thought Oikawa's plan had failed even the slightest bit... Oikawa winced. He still woke in a cold sweat, screaming and trying to escape the memories of the last time the results of one of Oikawa's plans hadn't been up to Ushijima's standards.


	3. Winter Punishment

Oikawa screamed as white-hot pain lanced through him. He collapsed, barely managing to catch himself so he landed on one knee instead of falling completely to the floor. Over the years, he hadn't managed to figure out how Ushijima managed to inflict so much pain without killing him, or even leaving a single mark on him, and he hadn't managed to develop a tolerance for it, but he had managed to learn how to not completely crumple to the floor at the first wave of pain.

"What do you mean, Iwaizumi survived?" Ushijima demanded, standing over him. Another wave of agony swept over Oikawa, and another scream tore from his throat. "Kenma was supposed to make sure Tendou killed Kuroo  _and_ Iwaizumi. That fire fae of yours is too devoted to Kuroo to just accept his death quietly and transfer his loyalty to Tendou."

"He's not mine anymore," Oikawa hissed, eyes watering as the pain faded to a dull ache, allowing him to speak instead of scream. "You made sure of that. And if Tendou left Iwaizumi alive, despite knowing he was supposed to die, then either Iwaizumi doesn't know who actually killed Kuroo, or Tendou has a way of controlling him. Either way, this can work in our favor." The pain flared warningly, leaving Oikawa gasping, then faded completely.

"Do tell," Ushijima said, staring down at him.

"For whatever reason, Tendou spared Iwaizumi, which means he must be confident we can use him somehow. I would have to speak to Tendou or Iwaizumi myself to evaluate just how useful Iwaizumi can be, but I'm sure he'll be good for something," Oikawa explained. He waited, head bowed. After a long moment, Ushijima nodded to himself.

"Very well. You will accompany me to the ceremony to confirm Tendou as the new Autumn Lord, and evaluate Iwaizumi. Bring your assassin with you. After the ceremony, I want to open up the Summer ranks a bit," Ushijima told him. Oikawa's eyes widened. 

"I thought you agreed we should wait until things settle down from Tendou's coup before we went after the Summer Lord," Oikawa protested.

"Having Iwaizumi changes things. If we can use him, the Autumn court will settle faster. Isn't that what you told me when we were forming our plans, and you wanted me to spare Iwaizumi's life?" Ushijima reminded him. Oikawa flinched.

"The Summer Lord will have guards with him. I don't want to risk losing my assassin this early in the game," Oikawa protested. Ushijima narrowed his eyes.

"You're trying to postpone the pain your assassin will experience when he is ordered to kill his former lover," Ushijima accused. Oikawa froze.

"No! Of course not! He can handle this," Oikawa said quickly. If Ushijima thought that he was trying to protect his people from unpleasant assignments... "I would just prefer to send another person with him to make sure I get him back in one piece," Oikawa explained. Ushijima seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Very well. I will send for you when it is time for the ceremony. It will probably be tonight," Ushijima said. "You may bring your assassin and one other. You will evaluate Iwaizumi during the ceremony, and afterwards, your assassin and whoever you choose to go with him will ambush the Summer Lord before he can return to the safety of the Summer Palace, and I want proof that they actually did it." Oikawa nodded and got to his feet, willing his legs not to shake from the aftereffects of the pain. "Oh, and one more thing," Ushijima added. That was all the warning Oikawa had before fresh agony shot through him, somehow even stronger than before, almost like flames were tearing away at him from the inside, and this time, Oikawa fell all the way to the floor, screaming. Ushijima crouched and gripped his hair, pulling him up so they were face to face as the pain faded enough for him to concentrate. "Don't forget who you belong to while you're reunited with your fire fae, all right? No matter how useful he might turn out to be, I'm still perfectly happy to have Tendou dispose of him the way he was supposed to today." Oikawa tried to suppress a whimper, but it escaped anyway. Apparently satisfied with whatever he saw in Oikawa's expression, Ushijima released him and stood. "Go back to your tower and give your people their orders." Oikawa forced himself to his feet, and this time he didn't have the energy to keep his legs from shaking. 

By the time he reached the tower room where Kenma, Akaashi, and Yahaba were waiting for him, Oikawa had almost completely regained his composure. When he stepped into the room, though, all three of them took one look at him and knew exactly what had happened. 

"Yahaba, secure the room," Oikawa ordered before they could say anything. Yahaba's fingers clenched, crumpling the paper in his hands, but he nodded and obeyed, his air magic expanding, filling the room, ensuring that no one would overhear them. They couldn't afford to keep this room secure all the time, because Ushijima would notice and get suspicious, but if he said anything this time, Oikawa had the excuse of handing down Ushijima's orders to explain why they wouldn't want anyone overhearing. As soon as the magic settled into place, Yahaba hurried to Oikawa's side, checking for wounds, even though they all knew that there usually weren't any. "I'm fine," Oikawa said shortly. "And we have our orders for the ceremony to confirm Tendou as the new Autumn Lord." All three of them tensed at Oikawa's words. 

"I thought the plan was to lay low after Tendou's coup," Akaashi protested. Oikawa turned to Akaashi, and he knew his expression said everything. "No. No, he can't...not yet," Akaashi whispered, his usual calm expression vanishing, to be replaced by something bordering on panic. "Oikawa, I  _can't_. We don't have a plan for that yet."

"I'm sorry," Oikawa said grimly. "I have an idea to buy you a little time. Ushijima just said you have to ambush and bring back proof. If you ambush him and bring something that proves you tried, we can buy a little time. We'll figure this out before Ushijima makes you try again, I promise." 

"Ushijima will know I tried to get out of killing him," Akaashi whispered. 

"I can try to take the blame," Oikawa replied immediately. "If you tell him I told you to make sure you came back alive even if it meant you didn't succeed..."

"He'd kill you," Yahaba protested. 

"Ushijima won't kill me. He needs me for his plans. But even if he did, the alternative is Akaashi killing the Summer Lord," Oikawa snapped. "We don't have a lot of time. But I am allowed to send someone with Akaashi, so that gives us a few more options. Yahaba?"

"I'll do it," Yahaba answered immediately. "If there are two of us, Ushijima's anger will be spread out, and if we have to say you told us to come back alive no matter what, then with three people to blame, we should be able to handle whatever punishment we get." 

"Let's set some concrete plans, then," Oikawa decided. "And Akaashi? No matter what, we won't let you do this alone." Akaashi took a deep breath, locking away his emotions the way he'd been doing for the past few years, ever since he was forced into the Winter Court. 

"I just want to make one thing clear," Akaashi said quietly. "If we can't save him, if we can't find a way out, I am going to be the one to kill him. I won't let anyone else hurt him." The others exchanged worried glances, and then Oikawa nodded.

"None of us will hurt him," Oikawa promised. They spent the rest of the time until Ushijima sent a messenger to tell them it was time for the ceremony planning, preparing for what they would have to do and what would happen if they failed.


	4. Autumn Coronation

Oikawa waited until Ushijima had entered the ceremonial chamber before he pulled his formal frosted Winter Court cloak tighter around him and glanced over the other second in commands. Kiyoko of the Spring Court stood at the end of the hall, too far away to overhear the conversation Oikawa was planning on having, and the Summer Court second, Nishinoya, was hovering around her, also too far away. That just left the person Oikawa was planning to talk to: Iwaizumi, who was leaning against the wall near the ceremonial chamber's door, trying to look relaxed as his gaze swept the hallway. Yahaba and Akaashi already had their plan, and were on their way to set up the ambush. Oikawa made his way toward Iwaizumi and leaned against the wall beside him. Just like every time he'd seen Iwaizumi since joining the Winter Court, Oikawa kept his feelings in check. 

"Hello, Iwaizumi," Oikawa murmured. "I heard you've been promoted to second in command. Congratulations." Iwaizumi's shoulders tensed, but his voice was even when he replied. 

"I'm surprised you're actually speaking to me, considering you've ignored my existence since you joined the Winter Court," Iwaizumi replied. "You didn't come to see me even once, and every time I've seen you since then, you've turned away from me." Oikawa couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through him. His first experience with Ushijima's magical torture had been when the Winter Lord caught Oikawa during his first and only attempt to sneak out to visit Iwaizumi. 

"I'm not here to talk about the past," Oikawa told him. "I'm here to talk about the future. I know Tendou is in there officially becoming the new Autumn Lord, and since you're here, that means you support him." 

"I swore an oath," Iwaizumi replied evenly. Then he added, "You seem to have settled in with Ushijima well." Oikawa raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Well, not everything is as it seems," Oikawa murmured. "For example, I heard a rumor that a Summer Court assassin was responsible, but I find that hard to believe."

"Who else would kill Lord Kuroo?" Iwaizumi countered. Oikawa shrugged and glanced toward the door. Iwaizumi followed his gaze and tensed. "You know," Iwaizumi hissed, pushing off the wall and rounding on Oikawa, who gripped his cloak and stared into Iwaizumi's expression, studying the face of the man who had been his lover all those years ago. There was grief and fury and helplessness in Iwaizumi's eyes, and it made Oikawa's heart break. "You know what really happened." Oikawa didn't deny it. 

"If you know, then why are you supporting Tendou?" Oikawa asked. 

"I told you, I swore an oath," Iwaizumi answered. "What's your excuse?" Oikawa tilted his head, considering. Then he decided to take a risk. If Ushijima punished him for it, then fine. But Oikawa had never lied to Iwaizumi, and even if it had been years since they'd been lovers, he wasn't going to start now.

"It's my plan," Oikawa told him with a shrug.  Iwaizumi froze. 

"What the fuck?" Fortunately, Iwaizumi hissed the words instead of shouting them. "Your plan? Don't tell me  _you're_ the strategist Tendou mentioned."

"I'm Ushijima's second in command, and it's my plans they're using. Draw your own conclusion from that," Oikawa said. 

"So you wanted Kuroo to die?" Iwaizumi snarled. Oikawa shook his head.

"No. If there was a way for Ushijima to achieve his goal that included Kuroo surviving, I would have taken it. I'm not the only one who cares about someone in the Autumn Court," he added softly. Iwaizumi tensed and stepped back, conflicting emotions dancing across his features. 

"You..."

"I'm doing what I have to do," Oikawa said. "That doesn't mean I have to like it." Deciding that another risk wouldn't hurt, since Ushijima was still inside the ceremonial chamber, Oikawa leaned forward and added, "Ushijima doesn't know all of my plans. Just the ones he wants to use for himself." Iwaizumi's eyes widened. "I found a way out, and I'm taking it, just like I told you I would. So go along with Tendou for now, Iwaizumi, and if you still care about me even a little bit, don't tell anyone about this, okay?" 

"What are you planning?" Iwaizumi demanded. 

"I can't tell you just yet," Oikawa replied. "But if things go the way I think they will, we'll have plenty of time to talk soon, okay?" The ceremonial chamber's door opened, and in a flash, Oikawa was on the other side of the hallway, leaving Iwaizumi stunned by how much faster Oikawa had gotten in the years they'd been apart. Tendou emerged first, a thick, simple circlet wrapped around his forehead, showing that he now had the title and powers of the Autumn Lord. 

"We're leaving, Iwaizumi," Tendou announced. Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa, then nodded and followed Tendou out. Ushijima came next, and Oikawa fell into step beside him without being addressed. 

"Well?" Ushijima asked.

"We can definitely use him," Oikawa replied. "He's sworn an oath to Tendou, so he won't betray us. And his strength will be a wonderful asset if the Summer Court puts up a fight."

"Good. Then we'll use him up, and if he's as strong as you seem to think, he might even survive what's coming," Ushijima commented. "And the others?" 

"They're in place, of course. They'll bring you back a nice prize, don't worry," Oikawa assured him cheerfully. Ushijima nodded, and they walked toward the Winter palace, Oikawa a half step behind Ushijima. 

* * *

 

Akaashi waited in the middle of the path, not bothering to conceal himself from his target. Yahaba stood beside him, silent but ready. Their target approached, chatting excitedly with his second in command. It was the second who noticed them first, and Akaashi sighed. 

"Yahaba, now," Akaashi murmured as he sensed Nishinoya's defensive fire magic swirl around himself and the Lord he served. Yahaba surged forward, hissing as he plunged straight into the flames. There was a yelp of surprise, and Yahaba flew out the other side of the swirling fire, dragging Nishinoya with him, away from the Summer Lord. 

"Noya!" the Summer Lord shouted, starting toward his second. 

"Don't worry about him," Akaashi said, catching his target's attention. The Summer Lord gaped at him, recognizing him immediately, despite the hooded, frosted cloak that shadowed his face. 

"Keiji?" the Summer Lord whispered, stepping toward him. Akaashi allowed himself a small smile as he moved to meet his target. Behind the Summer Lord, Yahaba and Noya had both frozen in place, watching the assassin and his target. Akaashi reached up and brushed back his hood, tilting his head slightly to stare up at his target. "It's been forever since I've seen you! Why didn't you ever come visit?"

"I'm sorry," Akaashi murmured. "I tried, but the Winter Court is even more strict than I expected. It's good to see you again, Koutarou."


	5. Winter Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm apologizing ahead of time. I'm so sorry. Especially to those of you whose favorite is Akaashi.

"Koutarou? Who are you, and why are you calling Lord Bokuto Koutarou?" Nishinoya demanded. His wings flared, flames rose around him, and he stepped toward Bokuto. Yahaba wrapped a tendril of air magic around the short fae's throat and hauled him back.

"You should stay out of this," Yahaba murmured, sidestepping Nishinoya's flames when the Summer fae tried to burn him. "If you get between them, Akaashi will probably kill you." Nishinoya scowled and clawed at the magic around his neck, sending more fire toward Yahaba, who drew a protective whirlwind around himself.

"Let go of me!" he hissed. Yahaba sighed and added more magic, trapping Nishinoya's hands. 

"Don't hurt him unless he attacks," Akaashi said. "We don't want any more bloodshed than absolutely necessary." 

"Bloodshed? Keiji, what are you-" Bokuto's words broke off as Akaashi brought his hands up, tangled his fingers in the Summer Lord's hair, and tugged him down into a kiss. Bokuto was frozen in place for an instant, stunned. Then he threw his arms around Akaashi's waist, pulled him closer, and kissed back enthusiastically. Akaashi's hands shifted, lifted to the circlet resting on Bokuto's head, among the black and white streaks of his hair, and tugged. Bokuto shouted in surprise and took a step back. "Keiji?" Akaashi didn't answer right away. Instead, he pressed his palm to Bokuto's chest and sent a pulse of water magic over him, blowing him back. 

"What are you doing?" Nishinoya shouted, flames swirling around him. Yahaba leaped back, releasing the air magic on him, then took to the air.

"Come on, Akaashi," Yahaba urged. Akaashi glanced from the circlet in his hands to Bokuto, who was staring at him in confusion.

"I'm sorry," Akaashi said quietly. "But I can't hurt you, even if it means I'm going to pay for it." Then he followed Yahaba into the sky, flying back toward the Winter Palace. Yahaba glanced over his shoulder, but didn't see Bokuto or Nishinoya pursuing them. 

"Do you really think this will work?" Yahaba asked, voice carefully steady. 

"If it doesn't, you can blame all of this on me," Akaashi replied grimly. 

"I wouldn't do that," Yahaba objected. "We're in this together, you and me and Kenma and Oikawa. You're not alone, remember?" After a moment, he added, "I have someone I care about in another Court, too, you know."

"I remember. Your best friend, Watari," Akaashi replied. "Isn't he in Autumn?" Yahaba nodded and smiled slightly.

"He's like my brother, and at least he should be relatively safe during all of this," the air fae mused. "I guess I should be happy that he's not a threat to Tendou or Ushijima, so we probably won't be ordered to take him out, but...since he's considered nothing more than a pawn in this plan, he could still die if it comes to war between Autumn and Summer."

"Once this is done, if he survives, you should take some time away," Akaashi suggested. Before Yahaba could reply, they reached the Winter Palace. Ushijima was waiting for them, Oikawa dutifully at his side when they flew in through a wide, open window into the room Ushijima usually listened to reports in.

"Were you successful?" Ushijima asked. Yahaba and Akaashi exchanged wary glances, then faced him together.

"We ambushed Summer Lord Bokuto, and brought you his circlet as a trophy," Akaashi said, holding out the circlet, which was both the symbol of Bokuto's power as the Summer Lord and its source. "But we were unable to kill him."

"Loosing his circlet should limit his power considerably," Yahaba added. Ushijima studied them for a moment, then turned to Oikawa. 

"You said your assassin could handle this," Ushijima said flatly. 

"He ambushed him and brought back proof," Oikawa pointed out. "The Summer Lord was probably just more on guard than usual because of how recently Kuroo died. If we had waited-"

"Are you implying that their failure is my fault?" Ushijima asked, his voice completely void of emotion. Oikawa froze, realizing his mistake.

"Of course not, I just meant-" Oikawa broke off as the window closed, pulled by Ushijima's wind magic, which then swirled around the room. Oikawa paled and stepped back, and Yahaba bit the inside of his cheek to keep from making any noise. They knew they were probably about to very, very deeply regret not having made sure Bokuto died. 

"You two failed," Ushijima said, and Yahaba and Akaashi staggered as magic-induced pain ripped through them, but not really as bad as other punishments they'd endured. "And you overestimated them and then implied their failure was my fault." Oikawa shook his head, not daring to speak, but still trying to deny the accusation, and took another step back. "And now you dare try to escape the punishment you deserve." Ushijima frowned at Oikawa, whose body jerked as a scream tore from his throat, a wave of blinding agony pushing him off his feet. Oikawa hit the floor and didn't get up, even when the pain faded a little. He lay there, crying out as the pain levels spiked, then whimpering and going limp when they receded. Yahaba and Akaashi exchanged frightened glances. They'd only gotten a mild punishment so far, but they could tell from Oikawa's reactions that the pain in store for them was going to be anything but mild. 

Oikawa's body went limp and didn't start writhing again as Ushijima returned his attention to Akaashi and Yahaba. 

"You first," Ushijima decided, pointing to Yahaba. "I have a feeling this stunt wasn't your idea." Before any of them could confirm or deny that, pain stabbed into Yahaba's temples. He yelped and clutched his head instinctively. The pain vanished, leaving him tense, waiting for the next wave. For several seconds, it didn't come, and Yahaba almost started to think that maybe Ushijima was tired or something and would let him off easy. Then agony lanced through his stomach, as though someone had plunged a knife into his body and twisted it. Yahaba screamed and doubled over, only for a burst of air to slice at his legs. He fell, stunned by the fact that Ushijima had actually used air magic to physically wound him, instead of the magical-only pain he usually delivered. Pain cut into the bottoms of his feet, making him cry out, and he wasn't sure if it was magical or physical pain until he felt his feet start to bleed. Yahaba whimpered and curled up, wondering if he'd be allowed to get one of the water fae to heal his wounds. If he wasn't, it would hurt to walk for days. A blow to his shoulder - Ushijima's foot, he'd actually kicked Yahaba instead of using magic - rolled him onto his back. Ushijima crouched, planted a knee on Yahaba's chest and pressed down. Yahaba whined in discomfort and gasped for breath. Not only was Ushijima's weight making it hard to breathe comfortably, but Yahaba's wings were pinned beneath him in a way that twisted and crumpled them, sending sparks of agony through him every time he inhaled. "Next time you go along with whatever your comrades suggest instead of what my orders are, I'll break your legs and shred your wings on top of whatever other punishment I decide to give you," Ushijima told him quietly. Yahaba whimpered and tried to blink back the tears stinging at the corners of his eyes.

Ushijima studied him, then stood and turned to Akaashi, who had been watching, his expression blank not because he was hiding his fear, but because he was terrified to the point that his facial muscles had just gone slack. 

"You...Akaashi Keiji, you thought you could get away with your lingering attachment to that bouncing fool of a lord, Bokuto," Ushijima said, his words bordering on a growl. Before Akaashi could deny it, flames erupted along his wings, biting into the delicate, sensitive membranes. Akaashi's scream was desperate and agonizing and continuous as he arched and writhed, trying to use his water magic to put out the flames. He stumbled and fell against the wall, Bokuto's circlet falling from his grasp a moment before the flames finally went out, leaving the edges of his wings ragged and charred. Akaashi sobbed, leaning away from the wall because the parts of his wings that weren't burned away completely were raw and excruciatingly tender. Ushijima crossed the room, seized Akaashi by the hair, and slammed him against the wall. Akaashi _shrieked_ as the impact crushed his battered wings between his back and the wall. He desperately reached for his magic, only for new agony to erupt in his chest and stomach, Ushijima's magic making him writhe and gasp for air, the combined pain so overwhelming that while his mouth was open, he couldn't actually get enough air into his lungs to scream. Akaashi's hands came up to claw at the hand gripping his hair and keeping him pinned to the wall, but ice magic wrapped around his wrists, tight and sharp enough to break the skin, and by the time Akaashi's arms were held against the wall, the ice was stained red with his blood. "I'll give you one more chance, once you've recovered enough to be useful again. You're going to go back to the Summer Lord, and we'll see how your Bokuto likes seeing you with your pretty wings completely ruined," Ushijima growled, allowing the magical pain in his torso to fade. "Maybe he'll be so shocked and disgusted by your new look that you'll actually manage to kill him this time." Akaashi flinched at the words, which only pressed his mutilated wings harder against the wall, drawing a sound from him that was somewhere between a sob and a whimper. "Fail me again, and you won't live to regret it," Ushijima threatened. "That goes for all three of you." Then he released Akaashi, the bloody ice around his wrists melting, letting him fall to the floor in a trembling, sobbing heap. Ushijima left the room, and for several minutes, the three fae he left behind didn't dare to hope that it might be over. 

When Kenma finally came looking for them, Yahaba was trying to bandage his wounds with strips torn from his cloak, and Oikawa was beside Akaashi, trying to use what little healing water magic he'd picked up over the years to soothe the agony in Akaashi's ruined wings. Oikawa looked up when Kenma entered the room, and the small fae didn't even ask what had happened. Kenma bent down beside Yahaba, frowned at the cuts on his legs and feet, then helped the air fae scoot across the floor until he was close enough to take Akaashi's hands and gently examine his injured wrists. Kenma bit his lip and sat beside Akaashi, on the other side from where Oikawa was. For a long time, the four of them stayed there, Oikawa and the others tending to Akaashi as best they could, knowing that while Akaashi really should be taken to a healer who knew what they were doing and could salvage more of Akaashi's mutilated wings than Oikawa's scant healing abilities could, Ushijima hadn't told them that they could go to a healer, so they could very well face even worse punishment if they saw one without permission. 

So they made do, the way they always did, and silently wondered if it was worth it to continue with the plans the four of them had hatched between them, the ones that Ushijima didn't know about, the ones that would earn them long, horrible deaths if their lord ever found out.


	6. Spring Offer

Akaashi slept fitfully, his body twitching every time so much as a breeze swept over his wings. Oikawa sat on the bed beside him, trying to soothe the pain with his magic. 

"We promised him we wouldn't hurt Bokuto," Yahaba said quietly. "But if I had just hit him instead of Nishinoya, if I'd taken him out...this wouldn't have happened."

"Don't blame yourself," Oikawa sighed, forming a layer of cool water around Akaashi's wings in hopes that it would protect them from accidentally brushing up against anything. "We all agreed on the plan, so no one should take the blame alone."

"We need a new plan," Kenma murmured from where he was wrapping bandages around Yahaba's feet. "Otherwise, either Bokuto or Akaashi will die."

"Not just Akaashi. If we fail again, we're all in danger," Yahaba pointed out. "Maybe we should go take care of Bokuto before Akaashi wakes up."

"No. Bokuto is the one Akaashi gave up everything to protect," Oikawa objected. "If anyone is going to take Bokuto's life, it should be Akaashi, unless he says he wants one of us to do it."

"Even if Akaashi wanted to kill him, there's no way he's going to be in  any shape to fight anytime soon," Yahaba replied. "Physically or emotionally." Oikawa looked down at Akaashi, then grimaced.

"You might be right. But we can't afford to wait too long, or Ushijima might think we're stalling," Oikawa said grimly.

"Let's go now, then," Akaashi mumbled, sitting up and biting back a whimper as the movement jostled his battered wings. The others jumped and stared at him.

"When did you wake up?" Oikawa asked. Akaashi started to shrug, but stopped when that, too, made his wings hurt. 

"You're in no shape to go anywhere," Yahaba snapped.

"I don't care," Akaashi replied. "You've all suffered enough because I couldn't hurt Koutarou. If we can't think of something, I'll... I'll deal with it." 

"Not alone, and not yet," Oikawa said firmly. "You can hardly sit up without being in pain. You're not going anywhere for a while."

"But-"

"No. I'll keep Ushijima distracted with other plans, like evaluating the combat potential of Autumn, or finally getting some solid information on the Spring fae," Oikawa assured them. "I can buy us a day or two at least, and Ushijima should be meeting with Tendou to discuss things soon anyway, so we have maybe three days." 

"I'll look into Spring if it will help," Kenma volunteered. The others exchanged surprised looks; Kenma hardly ever volunteered for things. 

"Well, you do already know the palace better than Yahaba and I," Oikawa mused. "All right. See what you can find out about them. I've been trying to get information on Spring's hierarchy for years, but Sugawara's tricky and doesn't give anything away except that his second is Kiyoko."

"I'll find everything there is to know about them," Kenma said quietly.

"So while you two are spying and handling Ushijima, what are Akaashi and I supposed to do?" Yahaba asked.

"Let your feet heal," Oikawa answered immediately. "I need you at your best for this, which means you need to sit here and plot with Akaashi and not reopen your wounds." Yahaba frowned, but didn't argue.

"It's been a long time since Ushijima used physical punishment instead of just magical," Yahaba said instead. "Think he's on edge because things are finally starting to move?"

"I think the body count is two people lower than he was hoping for, and he blames us for that, and he needs to make sure we're in line. After all, we know his plans," Oikawa replied. "Kenma, I want you back by midday tomorrow, okay? Don't fall asleep somewhere and lose track of time. And don't get lost." Kenma shrugged.

"I'll try," he agreed. Oikawa sighed, but knew that was all he was going to get from the little spy. "I'll be going, then," Kenma announced, heading for the window and opening it. He hopped onto the windowsill, then out into the air, wingbeats producing a soft hum as he flew away. For a moment, the other three were quiet.

"How bad is it?" Akaashi asked. "The damage to my wings, I mean." Yahaba bit his lip and looked away. Oikawa sighed. 

"It's bad, Akaashi," Oikawa admitted. "If we can get back on Ushijima's good side and successfully carry out a plan with Bokuto, we should be able to get you a good enough healer that you'll be able to fly again." Akaashi closed his eyes at this, but managed to keep his shoulders from shaking as a single tear slipped down his cheek. Akaashi's wings had always been exquisite, with beautiful black and green patterns that half the Winter Court envied. Now the edges were burned away unevenly, giving them a ragged, cringe-worthy shape, and a lot of the patterns had been lost, eaten away by the flames. "I'm sorry, Akaashi. I did what I could, but..."

"You're not a healer," Akaashi whispered, fighting to keep his voice steady. "It's not your fault." Oikawa looked away, then stood. 

"I'm going to do damage control with Ushijima," Oikawa said. "I should be back before Kenma is." Yahaba and Akaashi frowned at him. "What? It can't hurt to try to improve his mood, right?"

"Be careful," Yahaba warned. "If he thinks you're trying to distract him..."

"I'll just have to convince him it's an apology, not a distraction, then," Oikawa replied firmly. Then he was gone, leaving Yahaba and Akaashi to plan how they might be able to fulfill Ushijima's orders without Akaashi actually having to kill Bokuto. 

Meanwhile, Kenma slipped into the Spring Palace and made his way toward the Spring Lord's suite, where he hoped to find some information on what kind of challenge the Spring Court might pose to Ushijima's plans - and, more importantly, Oikawa's. Kenma paused outside the entrance to Sugawara's rooms, listening intently. 

"Hello, there. Kenma, right? Lord Sugawara was hoping you'd come back," an unfamiliar voice said behind him. Kenma whirled and reached for the small pouch of pebbles he carried with him, each imbued ahead of time with a different earth magic spell. The fae who had somehow managed to sneak up on him raised his hands defensively as Kenma snagged the pebble he wanted and pulled it out. "Easy there. I don't want to fight you, especially since that feels like a destruction spell you've got on that. You're here for information, right?" Kenma narrowed his eyes and nodded. He didn't know how this person knew who he was or what he was doing. "Lord Sugawara has a proposition for you. Go on in," he urged, reaching past Kenma to open the door. Kenma glanced from the stranger to the Spring Lord's quarters, then hesitantly stepped inside. 

"Thank you, Ennoshita," called a voice that Kenma recognized as belonging to Sugawara. "You may go now." Ennoshita left, and Kenma scanned the room. Sugawara was seated on a comfortable-looking couch, and beckoned Kenma over. Kenma watched him warily as he approached, then took a seat on a chair facing Sugawara. "I'm so glad you came back. I have a deal for you, the quiet little spy who almost escaped without being noticed when Iwaizumi and Kuroo crashed here." Kenma's eyes widened, and he tensed. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. Like I said, I have a deal for you. I want you to work for me, tell me what Ushijima is planning." 

"I can't," Kenma said. "I'm part of his Court. I can't betray my Lord."

"Really? I was under the impression you were already intent on doing just that," Sugawara replied calmly. Kenma bolted to his feet and was halfway out the door when air magic swirled around him and brought him to a halt. "Relax, I haven't told anyone. That's why I sent Ennoshita away, and Kiyoko isn't here."

"What if I still don't want to take your deal?" Kenma muttered, testing the bonds of air magic around him. Sugawara smiled serenely.

"Oh, I think you'll want to take it," he assured him. "For one very, very important reason." Kenma frowned, but when the magic around him vanished, he turned toward Sugawara instead of running. 

"Why? What could I possibly gain from telling you the Winter Lord's plans?" Kenma demanded. Sugawara's smile didn't waver when he answered. 

"I'll tell you what happened to Kuroo," he offered. Kenma scowled and turned away again, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

"I know what happened to him," Kenma snapped. "He's dead." Sugawara's voice was light and friendly, but utterly serious when he replied.

"No, he's not."


	7. Summer Danger

"What are you talking about?" Kenma hissed, the spells on his pebbles flaring a little with the earth magic he was generating as he glared at Sugawara. "I saw him. Iwaizumi brought him here. You and one of your water fae took them both inside. Kuroo was...his wings were  _gone._ Tendou ripped them off, and he was bleeding out. Your water fae said he was dead, and I couldn't sense his magic at all." 

"Well, that's because Ushijima isn't the only Lord to have a unique talent when he combines magic types," Sugawara replied. Kenma stared at him, wide-eyed. "I can cancel out other faes' magic when I use air, water, and fire magic, similar to how Ushijima uses fire, water, and earth magic when he inflicts pain without leaving physical damage."

"So Kuroo is really..." Kenma fought against it, but hope was surging in his chest. 

"Do you want to see him?" Sugawara asked. Kenma hesitated, still not convinced. The Spring Lord stood and walked to a door leading out of the room, different from the one Kenma had entered through. Kenma hesitated, but Sugawara just smiled at him and went through the door, leaving it up to Kenma whether or not to follow him. Kenma followed. This room was smaller than the one they'd just left, and there were two people in it. One was the huge water fae Kenma had seen with Sugawara when he'd thought Kuroo was dying. The water fae was sitting in a chair beside a bed, magic pouring from his hands over the last person in the room, who lay on the bed on his stomach, shirtless. When Sugawara and Kenma entered, the water fae paused and looked up. "Asahi, this is Kenma of the Winter Court," Sugawara said quietly. The water fae smiled, but the expression faltered when Kenma just stared at him silently.

"Nice to meet you," he said nervously. 

"How's your patient feeling? Is he awake yet?" Sugawara asked.

"I feel like someone tried to kill me and then poured ice water on my back," a voice that Kenma knew all too well spoke up. Even though he still couldn't sense Kuroo's magic, that was definitely his voice. The person Kenma had been best friends with for as long as he could remember, the person he'd fallen in love with during their magical training before choosing their Courts, the person Ushijima had threatened to kill if Kenma didn't join the Winter Court, the person Kenma had thought was lost forever, was sprawled on the bed, lifting his head to grin almost lazily at Asahi and Sugawara. 

A sob caught in Kenma's throat before he even realized it was forming, and he stumbled forward. Kuroo blinked at him, then sat up - ignoring the way Asahi yelped and told him to lay down again - and Kenma staggered right into Kuroo's arms.

"Kenma, what are you doing here?" Kuroo demanded, holding him so tightly that if it had been anyone else, Kenma would have squirmed away, but because it was Kuroo, who he'd thought was dead, Kenma just clung to him in return.

"Doesn't matter," Kenma mumbled. "You're alive. You're alive you're alive you're  _alive_ , I thought Tendou killed you, but you're alive." Kenma's words faded into sobs as he somehow managed to press closer to Kuroo, who held him as he cried. "I thought..."

"I know," Kuroo replied, his voice shaking. "I thought I was dead, too." Kenma didn't know what to say to that, so he turned his head just enough to meet Sugawara's gaze.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know," Kenma whispered. "Just promise me you'll keep him safe."

"Of course," Sugawara agreed. "Let's go back to the other room and let Asahi keep healing Kuroo while we talk, all right?"

* * *

 

When Kenma finally returned, to the Winter Palace, just barely making it before Oikawa's deadline, he found only Oikawa in the room waiting for him.

"We have a problem," Oikawa said as soon as he saw Kenma. Kenma tilted his head curiously but didn't speak. "Yahaba and Akaashi are gone." Kenma frowned, pushing the issue of his newfound alliance with Sugawara to the side. 

"Gone?"

"They just left a message saying they would handle the situation," Oikawa replied grimly.

* * *

 

Yahaba flew through the Summer Palace, his air magic swirling around him, knocking aside the low-ranking Summer fae who got in his way. Akaashi followed on foot, and the Summer fae who got to their feet after Yahaba knocked them down froze at the sight of the mutilated wings on Akaashi's back. Akaashi kept his expression impassive, but every step jarred his battered wings, every time someone started to get to their feet to attack the intruders and froze in horror at the sight of his torn and charred wings sent a jolt of frustration through him. 

The two Winter fae reached Bokuto's chambers and found themselves facing a particularly angry-looking Summer fae. Neither of them recognized him, and Akaashi found himself glad that it wasn't Nishinoya guarding Bokuto's door. Even if Yahaba had subdued the Summer second in command last time, Nishinoya hadn't been taking them seriously. This fae, though, had blond hair with two black stripes in it around the back of his head. 

"Who the fuck are you?" the Summer fae growled. Yahaba flew forward and seized the other fae's wrists, throwing him to the side. The guard snarled and twisted, trying to pin Yahaba down. Yahaba scowled, air magic slashing out and leaving cuts along the guard's arms when he raised them to protect his face, which kept the Summer fae from seeing Akaashi slip into Bokuto's rooms. 

"Kyoutani, what's the commotion... _Keiji!_ " Bokuto exclaimed. "You're back!" He sounded thrilled as he walked toward him. Akaashi studied him solemnly. "You totally ran off with my circlet, which is really bad, but it's okay. I'm just happy to see you! I've missed you so much, I was starting to think that you didn't-" Akaashi turned without a word, showing his back to Bokuto, who fell silent abruptly as he took in the mutilation of Akaashi's wings. "Keiji..." Bokuto's voice was broken, horrified. "Keiji, what happened to you?" Akaashi turned to face him again.

"I was punished because I didn't kill you when I was supposed to," Akaashi told him, putting every ounce of self-control he had into trying to keep his voice from breaking. "I can't hurt you, Koutarou. I can't. But if I don't, Ushijima will kill me. He burned my wings as a warning not to fail him again."

"I'm going to kill him," Bokuto announced, his rare serious mood settling over him, his bright golden eyes darkening and his wings twitching with rage. "I'm going to kill him for this."

"Koutarou, you can't. You don't have your circlet, he'll kill you," Akaashi said, moving forward and bringing his hands up to Bokuto's cheeks, gently framing his face. Bokuto leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, soothed by Akaashi's touch the way he had been before they were separated, before Akaashi joined the Winter Court. "But there's something you can do to protect me, Koutarou. If you do as I say, I'll be safe. I might even be able to get a healer to fix my wings enough that I can fly again. But you have to do this for me, okay?" Bokuto nodded fervently. 

"Anything," he promised. "Anything for you, Keiji." Akaashi relaxed and placed a gentle, chaste kiss on Bokuto's lips. 

"Promise me," Akaashi murmured, his lips brushing Bokuto's as he spoke. "Promise me you'll do as I say."

"Of course. I promise, Keiji," Bokuto replied, leaning forward for a longer, deeper kiss. Akaashi responded eagerly, relishing the contact. After all, he wouldn't be seeing Bokuto again until Oikawa's plans came to fruition, if ever. Akaashi pulled back when he realized the sound of Yahaba's tussle with the door guard outside had faded. "What do you want me to do?" Akaashi took a deep breath, closed his eyes so he wouldn't see Bokuto's expression. Then the Winter Court fae pulled the dagger from its hiding place in his sleeve.


	8. Summer Attack

Yahaba hissed with every breath as he stood, pinning the Summer guard to the wall. His feet felt like they were on fire, but he refused to back down, especially when he'd managed to subdue his opponent. He would  _not_ let the wounds on the bottoms of his feet keep him from doing his part in this plan. Something slammed into his back, and he shouted in surprise and pain as he fell forward, into the fae he'd been pinning. 

"Tanaka," growled the fae Yahaba had been fighting. 

"You got pinned, Kyoutani. What the fuck?" the newcomer growled, seizing Yahaba's shoulder and throwing him across the hall. Yahaba flared his wings and flapped hard, coming to a stop and hovering in the air, glaring at the two Summer fae now facing him.

"He's tougher than he looks," the one called Kyoutani snapped. "You try taking him on alone and see if you don't get pinned." The newcomer, Tanaka grinned and advanced on Yahaba, pushing his sleeves up in what was probably supposed to be a threatening gesture. Yahaba eyed him warily, then glanced toward the door to Bokuto's rooms. Akaashi hadn't come out yet, which meant that Yahaba needed to buy him more time. Yahaba gathered his magic and returned his attention to the two Summer fae. There would be other guards on the way soon, he knew, but for now, he could take these two.

* * *

 

"I need you to do two things for me, Koutarou," Akaashi said quietly, tightening his fingers around the dagger's hilt. "I need you to let me collect a trophy so Ushijima believes me when I tell him I killed you. And then I need you to go north and hide with a few solitary fae I know." Bokuto stared at him, then dropped his gaze to the dagger in his hand. 

"I can't leave my Court," Bokuto objected. 

"Nishinoya seems like a good second; he should be able to handle things," Akaashi replied. "It's for your own safety and mine, Koutarou. Besides, you promised me." Bokuto hesitated until his gaze shifted to where the ragged, burned edge of Akaashi's wing was just barely visible over his shoulder. Bokuto visibly slumped, and a pang of guilt shot through Akaashi. He hated having to do this, having to hurt Bokuto and then send him away, even if it was to keep them both alive  

"What do you want for a trophy?" Bokuto asked, sorrow and resignation tainting his words. Akaashi hesitated. This was the part of the plan he hated most, but he knew Yahaba was right about something drastic being necessary. 

"I need a piece of your wing," Akaashi answered. Bokuto froze, wings twitching on his back as his eyes widened.

"My wing?" he repeated. Akaashi nodded grimly. 

"I won't take much. Just enough to convince Ushijima," Akaashi assured him, stepping behind Bokuto and resting a hand lightly on the soft, delicate membrane of his wing. Bokuto jumped, but didn't pull away as Akaashi carefully grasped the edge of his wing and held the dagger to it. "I'm sorry," Akaashi whispered. Then, with two swift slashes, he sliced  away a small piece of Bokuto's wing. Bokuto shouted and stumbled forward. Akaashi stepped back, sliver of Bokuto's wing in his hand. Bokuto turned to face him, twitching his wings experimentally. The Summer Lord winced, but didn't cry out. "Now you have to go, Koutarou. There are instructions for finding the solitary fae I mentioned on this," he added, taking out a folded piece of paper and holding it out to Bokuto, who took it wordlessly. 

"I don't want to leave," Bokuto said quietly. Akaashi wiped his dagger clean on his shirt, then sheathed it in the hidden sheathe inside his sleeve. 

"I know you don't, and I don't want you to leave. But if we're both going to survive what's coming, I need you to go," Akaashi told him. Bokuto still hesitated, so Akaashi said it again, this time with no hesitation or question in his voice. "Go, Koutarou. Follow the instructions I gave you." Bokuto's shoulders drooped, but he turned toward the windows and spread his wings. The wound where a sliver of membrane was missing stretched and flared with pain, but Bokuto remembered the condition of Akaashi's wings and decided to bear with it. Akaashi bit his lip as he watched Bokuto fly away, out the window and off toward the solitary fae. "Take care of him, Kageyama," Akaashi murmured to himself. Then he went to the door he'd entered through and opened it. 

* * *

 

Yahaba ducked a punch from Kyoutani and shoved a blunt column of air into Tanaka's stomach. The flames Tanaka had been about to launch at him sputtered out as the fae coughed and staggered backwards. Kyoutani growled and tried to kick at Yahaba's injured feet, where his wounds had reopened and were bleeding as he alternated between hovering and fighting on foot. The door to Bokuto's rooms opened. 

"Not this way!" Yahaba shouted, kicking off the wall and shooting across the hall to slam Tanaka to the ground, leaving a wall of air magic behind to keep Kyoutani from chasing him immediately. 

"Come on, let's go," Akaashi ordered, standing in the doorway, mist forming around him. "It's done." Tanaka and Kyoutani both froze, staring at Akaashi. The water fae gave them a flat, blank look, and held up the scrap of Bokuto's wing. "He's gone." Yahaba relaxed; their plan had worked. Akaashi had convinced Bokuto to leave, and he had the trophy they needed to convince Ushijima that the Summer Lord was dead. 

"What did you do to Lord Bokuto?" Tanaka roared, charging toward Akaashi. Yahaba lashed out, swiping Tanaka's feet out from under him with a burst of air magic. Kyoutani slammed into Yahaba, apparently having gotten past the wall meant to delay him. Yahaba went down with a yelp, and Akaashi started forward, the mist around him freezing into hundreds of tiny, sharp icicles. 

"Run," Yahaba snapped. "I'll be right behind you." Akaashi hesitated, then glanced at Tanaka, who was getting to his feet, flames swirling around him as he scowled at Akaashi. The water fae paled and fled, back through Bokuto's rooms, to the open window on the other side of the room. 

"Get back here!" Tanaka shouted, charging after him and shooting flames at his back. Akaashi threw himself out the window, barely managing to form a ramp of ice to slide down. He hit the ground running and didn't look back, trusting that by the time he cleared the gardens controlled by the Summer Court, Yahaba would be flying overhead.

But Yahaba never joined him. 


	9. Winter Hope

Yahaba saw Tanaka chase after Akaashi, saw Akaashi throw himself out the window, which was  _not_ what Yahaba meant when he told him to run, and threw all of his concentration into putting up a wall of air magic over the window before Tanaka could follow Akaashi through it. Tanaka slammed headfirst into the barrier and staggered sideways, groaning in pain. Yahaba smirked. It served him right, Yahaba thought smugly. He'd seen Tanaka try to shoot fire at Akaashi's back, despite the obvious flame damage on the Winter fae's wings. 

"Let him go," Kyoutani growled. "We got this one." Yahaba's smirk vanished, and he struggled to escape Kyoutani's hold, but the other fae was heavy, and on his back, and Yahaba's wings were pinned painfully between them. 

"Kyoutani, Tanaka, what's going on?" Nishinoya, the Summer second in command, was rushing down the hallway, four other Summer fae on his heels. 

"This asshole and some guy with burned wings came barging in," Kyoutani growled. 

"The other one got away," Tanaka added, glaring at Yahaba. "He had a piece of Lord Bokuto's wing, and now I can't find him anywhere." Nishinoya froze, and Yahaba noticed that the second in command suddenly looked very small and almost afraid. Then he seemed to gather himself and stood taller.

"Yamamoto, take Inuoka and Lev. search the palace and the gardens for any sign of Lord Bokuto or the intruder with the burned wings. Hinata, Tanaka, close down the Summer Palace. No one comes in or leaves until we find Lord Bokuto or I say so. Kyoutani, bring your friend and let's go," Nishinoya ordered. The others dispersed immediately, leaving only Nishinoya and Kyoutani with Yahaba. 

"He's not my friend, he's the asshole who got the asshole who attacked Lord Bokuto into the palace," Kyoutani grumbled, getting up and hauling Yahaba with him. Yahaba let himself be pulled up, only to yelp and collapse, forcing Kyoutani to take his weight - he'd half expected to be dropped, but Kyoutani actually caught him - using the bleeding wounds on his feet to his advantage. Kyoutani eased him to the floor, and Yahaba settled himself with his back to the wall, an idea nudging at the back of his mind.

Akaashi had succeeded. He'd be safe, now. But Yahaba had been captured. Would that count as a failure? Either way, as long as he was in the Summer Court's custody, Ushijima couldn't reach him. 

"You're Winter Court," Nishinoya observed. Yahaba resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Was it the pretty frosted cloak that gave it away?" Yahaba asked, smiling politely. 

"Why did you and the one with the burned wings come here?" Nishinoya asked. 

"Don't call him that," Yahaba growled. "It's not his fault. To answer your question, we came to kill your Lord, and it looks like my friend succeeded while this guard dog of yours was distracted by me." Kyoutani glared at him, and Nishinoya flinched.

"If your friend actually managed to kill Lord Bokuto, then you're both in a lot of trouble," Nishinoya said when he regained his composure. Yahaba tilted his head and made sure his polite smile was in place.

"Are you going to keep me here, then?" he asked. "You wouldn't hand me over to the Winter Lord when he's the one that gives me orders, would you?" he added pointedly. 

"You attacked the Summer Lord because you were ordered to?" Kyoutani growled. Yahaba almost made an overly-polite reply, almost told Kyoutani that a guard dog should know that following orders is important, but what he actually said seemed to catch them by surprise.

"I don't know about you, but when someone who's willing to slice up my feet or burn off my friend's wings because we failed the first time tells me to try again, I'm damn well going to try again," Yahaba told them. The two Summer fae somehow managed to get even more tense, and Nishinoya's gaze fell to Yahaba's feet. 

"I thought that happened when you were fighting Kyoutani," Nishinoya murmured. Yahaba shrugged. 

"So you guys captured me. What now?"

"Well, once we figure out if your friend really killed our Lord, we decide whether we execute you or not," Nishinoya replied, his expression darkening. The two Summer fae looked like they expected Yahaba to look scared at that, but he just relaxed. 

"How about I make you a deal. I tell you all some nice information about the Winter Court, and you make my execution quick and painless," Yahaba suggested. Nishinoya and Kyoutani stared at him, and Yahaba just stared back, smiling politely, completely relaxed, because this was out of his control, there was no way even Ushijima could blame Akaashi for this, not when Akaashi had the trophy clipping of Bokuto's wing showing they'd succeeded, which meant that Akaashi wouldn't suffer if Yahaba didn't escape, which in turn meant that Yahaba was off the hook. He could stay here, in the custody of the Summer Court, and nothing they could do to him would be able to compare to what he'd been living through since joining Winter. Yahaba was finally free. And if they decided to kill him, then that just meant there would be absolutely no chance of Ushijima getting him back.

* * *

 

Akaashi was out of breath when he returned to the Winter Palace, his piece of Bokuto's wing held carefully in his hand as he approached the entrance. He'd waited as long as he could for Yahaba to catch up, but eventually, Akaashi had been forced to accept that Yahaba had probably been captured. Akaashi made his way to where he hoped he would find Ushijima so he could report his success and leave this whole mess behind. Before he got to the room, Oikawa found him.

"Akaashi! I thought I sensed your magic! Why did you just vanish like that and just leave a note? Kenma and I were so worried, and..." Oikawa trailed off, eyes narrowing and welcoming smile vanishing. "Where's Yahaba?" Akaashi hesitated, unsure how to answer. He wasn't sure that Yahaba had been captured; he could have been hiding somewhere, laying low until things calmed down. Oikawa studied him for a moment, then nodded, apparently understanding. "Is he alive, at least?"

"He was when I saw him last," Akaashi replied quietly. "And we succeeded, so Ushijima shouldn't be mad." He held up the sliver of Bokuto's wing, and Oikawa's eyes widened. 

"Akaashi..."

"I need to see Ushijima, tell him the good news," Akaashi said evenly. Oikawa's gaze darted from Akaashi's face to the scrap of wing membrane and back again, confusion and worry warring in his eyes. 

"Is it good news?" Oikawa asked tentatively. Akaashi knew what he was really asking and smiled slightly. 

"Everything went according to plan, except for getting separated from Yahaba," Akaashi assured him. Oikawa relaxed a bit. 

"Kenma returned from the Spring Court, with plenty of information on their inner workings," Oikawa told him. "After you report to Ushijima, I want you and Kenma to start working on predicting potential moves Spring might make based on Kenma's information."

"Where will you be?" Akaashi questioned. 

"Tendou and Ushijima are meeting to discuss something. I'm going with," Oikawa told him. Akaashi saw the carefully neutral smile, noted the way Oikawa's fingers were carefully still. Akaashi didn't say anything, because one of their fellow Winter fae might be listening and might relay their conversation to Ushijima if they thought it would earn them a place on the Winter Lord's good side, but he knew what Oikawa's careful composure meant. Iwaizumi was going to be at the meeting. 

"Are you going to fill him in on the whole plan?" Akaashi asked. "Lord Tendou only knows his role, right? Now that he's Autumn Lord, will he be allowed to know more?" Oikawa didn't so much as blink in surprise, but the slight twitch of Oikawa's fingers told Akaashi that his meaning had gotten across. 

"That's up to Ushijima, of course," Oikawa replied. "But I see no reason to doubt his loyalty, not when he's fulfilled his role so nicely." Akaashi nodded thoughtfully, sure he'd understood Oikawa's response correctly. 

Oikawa was going to bring Iwaizumi into the small number of people who knew Oikawa's real plans, the plans that Ushijima would kill them for if he found out, the plans to free them all from Ushijima's control once and for all. Akaashi was glad he'd made Bokuto leave.

After all, if Oikawa was bringing Iwaizumi in, then he thought things were getting serious, which meant even more danger than usual. Akaashi's fingers tightened around the sliver of Bokuto's wing in his hand, and he smiled. The endgame would begin soon, and that meant freedom, one way or another.


	10. Autumn Meeting

Oikawa resisted the urge to pull his cloak tighter around his shoulders as he followed Ushijima to where he was supposed to meet with Tendou, a small warded house on the border between the Winter and Autumn gardens. Tendou and Iwaizumi were already there. Oikawa smiled and bowed to Tendou the way he was supposed to, and then Tendou and Ushijima went into the building, leaving Oikawa and Iwaizumi to stand guard outside.

"So how are your plans going?" Iwaizumi asked, crossing his arms and frowning at Oikawa. "Was the Summer Lord's disappearance your doing, too?" Oikawa let out a humorless laugh.

"Who else would have the guts to target Bokuto? He's only been Summer Lord for a few years, but he overthrew Terushima, so you'd have to be either really powerful or really stupid to go after him," he replied. 

"Or desperate to find a way out," Iwaizumi murmured. "How's that coming, by the way?" Oikawa hesitated. 

"It could be better," he admitted. "One of my people got captured when we made Bokuto disappear. Another is missing half his wings because Ushijima wanted to punish him." Iwaizumi froze, staring in absolute horror at Oikawa. "You asked what I was planning last time we saw each other," Oikawa said, taking a deep breath. "I think that I'm going to need your help with this, so I'll tell you the end goal." 

"The end goal?" Iwaizumi repeated, raising an eyebrow. Oikawa nodded.

"We're going to kill Ushijima." Iwaizumi froze.

"You're going to  _what_ _?_ _"_ he snapped. 

"Ushijima is trying to become a full-fledged fae king. Once he collects all of the circlets, there will be a moment when he's vulnerable, as he absorbs the powers of the different Courts. And when that happens, I am going to kill him," Oikawa explained, expression dark and determined. 

"Isn't that a little..."  _harsh,_ Iwaizumi wanted to say. "Excessive?" 

"Ushijima is trying to take over all four Courts. Winter Court is already hell," Oikawa snapped. "If you don't rank high enough for Ushijima to punish you personally when you don't carry out your job perfectly, you get handed over to his third in command, Daishou, and his mindless puppet. Akaashi got his damned wings  _burned off_ because he didn't kill Bokuto the first time he was told to. We have done whatever it takes to survive under Ushijima's control, and we are going to do whatever it takes to get out of it. So no, killing him isn't  _excessive_."

"Fine. But it sounds like you have everything under control. So what do you need me for?" Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa hesitated, drawing his cloak tighter around himself and biting his lip. 

"Ushijima has the Summer Court's circlet. Tendou is his happy little minion, so he just has to ask for the Autumn Circlet. But Spring..."

"He can't be thinking about sending you to attack Sugawara," Iwaizumi protested. "As much as most people were rightly afraid of the power Bokuto had, Sugawara is...that's suicide." 

"Not if we work together," Oikawa replied. "If Ushijima doesn't assign me extra people for it, then I'll need you to get away from Tendou for a while and help me. With Akashi grounded, and Yahaba captured, I'm low on options."

"You want me to help you kill the Spring Lord." Iwaizumi's voice was flat.

"Well, no, we just need the circlet, so if we can manage to keep him alive but make Ushijima  _think_ he's dead, that would be best," Oikawa replied. For a moment, Iwaizumi studied him, expression unreadable. 

"Either way, I'm with you," Iwaizumi said finally. "Even though you only talked about what happened to other people, I'm sure you've been through hell, too. Your eyes get this awful dead look when you say his name." There was a pause, and then Iwaizumi added, "Last time, you said...that if I still cared about you at all, I wouldn't tell Tendou anything." Oikawa nodded, so he continued, "I do still care, you know. I've missed you, Oikawa. It's been forever since you joined the Winter Court, but I still miss you. Every time I saw you, and you wouldn't even look at me, I told myself that you'd moved on, so I should too, but I couldn't. I should have known something was wrong. You were never one to let go of something you wanted, and I know you wanted me, before we were separated." Oikawa hung his head, pulled the hood of his clock up so it shadows his face. 

"That's not fair," Oikawa whispered, his voice barely audible. "That's not fair at all. It took everything I had to not talk to you, to not tell you what was happening. If I hadn't needed to earn Ushijima's trust, I could have at least talked to you. But he had to believe that I..." Oikawa trailed off, shuddering. Iwaizumi tilted his head curiously. 

"That you...?" He was dreading Oikawa's answer, because that dead, empty look was back in his eyes. "Oikawa..."

The door opened, cutting off their conversation. 

"I'm glad to see you two getting along," Tendou announced. Oikawa flinched, somehow managing to pull his cloak even tighter around himself, even though he knew that the frosted fabric wouldn't protect him if Ushijima decided he didn't like Tendou pointing out that Oikawa and Iwaizumi had obviously been talking. 

"What makes you think we're getting along?" Iwaizumi replied, frowning. "I'm glad you're back; I was debating whether it would be faster to punch him or strangle him to knock him out." He glanced at Oikawa and added, "How did you get so  _annoying_ _?"_ Oikawa stared at him for a moment, and Iwaizumi wondered if maybe implying that the two of them were more antagonistic than anything was a bad move. But then Oikawa's grip on his cloak loosened, and he grimaced dramatically even as relief flashed in his eyes. 

"At least I didn't turn into a grouchy old man," Oikawa replied, and Iwaizumi almost slumped with his own relief. The faint suspicion in Tendou's expression and more blatant accusation in Ushijima's faded.

"Well, try not to kill each other while you're on your next mission," Tendou said lightly. 

"Next mission? You chose a course without me?" Oikawa pouted, turning to Ushijima. "I thought you weren't going to leave me out of making final decisions anymore after you let me meet with Tendou." 

"Your subordinates haven't been up to their usual standards," Ushijima replied. "But I'm giving you a chance to make up for their failures. You, Iwaizumi, and Daishou are going to infiltrate the Spring Court and capture Sugawara. I want him alive and handed to me, and I want his second and his most powerful healer dead. You'll also retrieve two assets I have in place in the Spring Palace and bring them home to Winter." Oikawa paled abruptly at Daishou's name, and he was back to gripping the edge of his cloak desperately by the end. 

"You want me to work with Daishou and Iwaizumi. To  _capture_ the Spring Lord?" Oikawa repeated. "It would be hard enough to get in and kill him, or steal his circlet, but you want us to bring him to you alive?"

"Don't question me," Ushijima snapped. Before Oikawa could reply, pain lanced through him, and he staggered, a small cry escaping his throat before he could bite it back. Iwaizumi was frozen. He wanted to go to Oikawa's side, to help him stay upright, but he also knew that would only cause more trouble for Oikawa, if what he'd said about trying to earn Ushijima's trust by ignoring Iwaizumi was true. "You two will leave immediately. Daishou will meet you at the Spring Palace."

"We need time to plan," Oikawa protested, struggling to keep his voice even. "You haven't told me anything about assets in the Spring Palace, and I don't know Iwaizumi's abilities, and you know Daishou and I don't get along." 

"Figure it out," Ushijima ordered, and another wave of pain washed over Oikawa, this time strong enough to knock him off his feet. He fell to his knees, a noise halfway between a scream and a sob catching in his throat. "I expect Sugawara delivered to me by the end of the day." Ushijima stalked away, then, and Tendou followed, leaving Oikawa on his knees and Iwaizumi staring after them. When they were out of sight, Iwaizumi turned his attention to Oikawa, stepping toward him. 

"Oikawa, are you-"

"I'm fine," Oikawa growled, getting to his feet shakily. "I hope hauling the Spring Lord in puts Ushijima in a good mood, because I don't think I can handle distracting him from his bad mood again so soon." Before Iwaizumi could ask what he meant, Oikawa continued, "If Daishou is going to be working with us, we can't afford to deviate from our orders. And before we meet up with him, there's something you should know. It's about the person who'll probably be with him..."


	11. Spring Capture

Oikawa bit his lip as he caught sight of Daishou and his companion. Iwaizumi noticed the sudden tension and paused, studying the pair of Winter fae. Daishou was sitting, leaning his back against one of the trees at the edge of the Spring gardens, a smirk playing across his lips as he trailed a hand possessively over the wings and back of the fae who lay curled up with his head on Daishou's lap. That must be Futakuchi, then, Iwaizumi realized.

"Remember, don't talk to Futakuchi," Oikawa warned. "And don't stop Daishou from carrying out Ushijima's orders." Iwaizumi frowned at him, but nodded. He'd already given in to Oikawa's insistence that they not give Daishou a reason to doubt their loyalty, so he wasn't sure if Oikawa was reminding Iwaizumi, or himself. 

"I can sense you lurking over there, Tooru," Daishou called. "And Ushijima said you'd have your fire shooter with you. Is that who else I'm sensing over there?" Oikawa made a face that told Iwaizumi exactly how displeased he was to be working with Daishou, but by the time Oikawa walked forward, he had a falsely polite smile on his face. 

"So good to see you, Suguru. I was starting to think maybe you'd gotten lost in one of the Winter Gardens. Such a shame that you found your way out," Oikawa commented. 

"I could smell the desperation on you, and it led me right to here," Daishou replied. "Did Ushijima not take to your charms as well as usual?" 

"Suguru, if I didn't need your disgusting buzzing magic for this mission, I would happily skin you alive right now," Oikawa informed him, tone and expression completely friendly. Iwaizumi eyed them both warily, then sighed.

"Let's just get this over with," he said. "Are we just going to improvise, or do you have a plan?"

"I'll collect one asset and take down the second in command. You handle the healer," Daishou replied. "Then we'll meet up again and get the second asset and the Spring Lord together." 

"So you know who the assets are that we're collecting?" Oikawa asked. 

"I know their names and the feel of their magic," Daishou replied. "I'll handle them. You just need to kill the healer, Azumane, and help me capture Sugawara."

"If you're late, we're taking Sugawara and leaving you to get out on your own," Oikawa threatened. Daishou smirked. 

"Just don't get distracted by your fire fae there," he advised, nudging the fae on his lap. "Let's go, Kenji." Futakuchi stood, and Iwaizumi felt a chill when his eyes happened to meet Futakuchi's empty, broken gaze. As he followed Daishou into the Spring gardens, Iwaizumi noticed a ring of discolored skin, some sort of scarring around the base of Futakuchi's neck. Once they were gone, Iwaizumi turned to Oikawa, trying to think of how to ask. 

"What the fuck?" Iwaizumi whispered at last. Oikawa glanced after the pair. 

"I warned you," Oikawa said quietly. "Come on. Let's move. We have to find Azumane and deal with him, then get to Sugawara before Daishou does. If we can convince him to come quietly, he probably won't get hurt for a while. It will buy us time." Iwaizumi nodded, and they entered the Spring gardens together. 

"Do you have a plan for finding him?" Iwaizumi asked. 

"We're going to follow Daishou. His commotion will probably draw Azumane's attention," Oikawa replied, heading in the direction Daishou and Futakuchi had gone. Iwaizumi followed, frowning. 

They hung back when they caught sight of the Winter pair, which turned out to be a wise decision, because a moment later, the Spring second in command came into view, flying towards the intruders, flames swirling around her hands and trailing from her wings as she drew nearer. Daishou noticed her approach and smirked. 

"Kenji, bring her down," Daishou ordered. Iwaizumi tensed, and Oikawa seized his arm just in case Iwaizumi was tempted to try to interfere. Futakuchi stepped forward, placing himself between the approaching fire fae and Daishou without hesitation. Futakuchi lifted his arms, and the ground shook, rocks from the garden flying into the air to bombard Kiyoko, who whirled away and retaliated with blistering fireballs as she hovered over the intruders. Loose dirt flew up, blocking the fireballs, and then more rose behind Kiyoko, wrapping around her wings. She gasped and fell, but managed to land on her feet. She shifted, fireballs forming around her hands. Then Daishou stepped up and put a hand on the small of Futakuchi's back in a possessive gesture that Futakuchi seemed to relax into. Kiyoko didn't stop to evaluate the new threat; she shot her fireballs, hoping to catch them off guard. Daishou waited for Futakuchi to form a barrier to block the attack, which he did, then flicked his wrist. Kiyoko's next attack vanished before she could launch it, and her back arched, her body lifting and contorting, her mouth open in a silent scream. She fell, and Oikawa took a step back, pulling Iwaizumi with him. 

"Let's head for the palace," Oikawa murmured. "We need to catch Azumane and deal with him."

"You mean the way you dealt with Bokuto?" Iwaizumi grumbled, following nonetheless. 

"Hm? Oh, no. We should actually follow orders and kill Azumane. If we don't, Daishou and Futakuchi will know, and then we'll all be in trouble," Oikawa replied. Iwaizumi stopped in his tracks. 

"Are you saying..."

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Bokuto's alive," Oikawa agreed. "At least, Akaashi said he was, so I'm sure he's hiding somewhere safe." 

"Then...is Kuroo...?"

"Kenma said he died," Oikawa sighed. "I had hoped to save him, but Tendou's attack didn't go as planned in a lot of ways. Oh, look. There's Azumane." Iwaizumi tensed and looked up. A large water fae was hurrying toward where Daishou and Futakuchi had taken down Kiyoko.  

"Are we really going to kill him?" Iwaizumi asked. 

"I don't have a plan for this," Oikawa replied. "So unless you have a way to convince Daishou that we killed him when we didn't, yes. We're really going to kill him. Well, I am, anyway." Iwaizumi didn't have anything to say to that. Oikawa nodded to himself, then threw his hood back before he darted forward, icicles forming into daggers in his hands. The Spring fae saw him coming and yelped, scrambling to retreat. Iwaizumi hung back, watching as Oikawa slipped behind their target and brought the ice daggers up and into his back, coldly efficient as he twisted the blades, then skipped backwards before the healer even registered the pain, leaving the ice weapons in his back. A choked cry rose from his throat as he fell, and Iwaizumi growled to himself. Oikawa had dealt with everything on his own for years. It was time Iwaizumi got involved. 

Iwaizumi surged forward and caught the large healer as he fell, catching his shirt and twisting so Azumane fell on his back, the impact with the ground plunging Oikawa's daggers farther into his body. The healer screamed, a gurgling sound as blood filled his lungs that made Iwaizumi flinch. 

"Asahi!" someone shouted. Oikawa yelped as a burst of flame and wind sent him tumbling backwards, away from Azumane. Iwaizumi looked around for the source of the magic. "I knew you'd be coming, Oikawa, but I didn't expect you to drag other people into this." Iwaizumi looked up, and saw none other than Sugawara hovering overhead, lightning crackling at his fingertips, frosty mist swirling at his feet, sparks trailing from his wings. 

"Lord Sugawara," Oikawa said with a grimace. "Iwaizumi, finish off Azumane, and let's get to our next goal." Iwaizumi tensed, looked down at the healer, whose breath was coming in short, gurgling gasps. 

"Don't touch him," Sugawara snapped, and then Iwaizumi was thrown back by a burst of air magic. He twisted, steadied himself, and hovered facing Sugawara. Oikawa looked up at Sugawara, jaw set and determination etched in every inch of his posture. 

"We won't finish him off if you come with us quietly," Oikawa said. Sugawara's expression hardened. 

"So Ushijima wants me alive, even after all this time," Sugawara sighed. "I'm afraid the answer is no." Iwaizumi flew forward, flames crackling around him, only to be swamped by a wave of water that spun around him, extinguishing his fire and pressing close, trapping him in a swirling mass of liquid. Iwaizumi thrashed, but the water didn't pull back. Instead, it tightened around his chest, and he wheezed from the sudden pressure. As soon as his mouth opened, water poured in. He spluttered and writhed, reaching for his fire magic even though it was no use. Panic shot through him as he realized that  _he was going to drown._  

 _"Hajime!"_ Iwaizumi was pretty sure he had imagined someone screaming his name, but a moment later, the water vanished, and he fell to the ground, coughing. When he finally managed to clear his throat enough to look around, he found Oikawa and Sugawara whirling around each other, ice flashing between them as they fought, movements fast enough that Iwaizumi was having trouble following them. 

Since when did Oikawa move that fast, or fight like that? Was that something else that had changed while they were apart? Iwaizumi shook his head and glanced at Azumane, who lay limply nearby. Iwaizumi couldn't sense his magic. He grimaced and returned his attention to Oikawa and Sugawara as they fought. 

"Well, well, it looks like Oikawa's little fire shooter got extinguished," Daishou's voice commented. Iwaizumi froze and glanced over his shoulder. Daishou stood there, smirking. Futakuchi stood beside him, expression still empty, broken. Iwaizumi flinched, and his gaze shifted to the person standing on Daishou's other side, a fae with white hair tipped in black. "Eita, why don't you go introduce yourself to Tooru?" Daishou suggested. The third fae flinched, then jumped into the air. Iwaizumi got to his feet. Eita flew toward where Oikawa and Sugawara were still locked in their fierce battle. 

"Semi? What are you-" Sugawara broke off as Oikawa nearly managed to land a blow, only for Sugawara to spin in place and send what looked like an icicle wrapped in electricity into Oikawa's shoulder. Oikawa cried out and wavered in the air, and Semi darted forward, intending to take advantage of Sugawara's concentration on Oikawa. Before he got close enough, however, Sugawara suddenly jolted, arched, and screamed. The magic around him vanished along with his concentration, and his wings spasmed. He hung in the air for a heartbeat, and then he was falling, his body limp. Another fae Iwaizumi didn't recognize moved underneath the plummeting Spring Lord and caught him in his arms. 

"You're late, Kenjirou," Daishou called. Oikawa landed, and Semi followed him a moment later. 

"I'm sorry. I saw something I thought you might like to know about on my way here, so I stopped to gather information," the one holding Sugawara said. "The former Autumn Lord, Kuroo Tetsurou, is alive, and he's with a little Winter Court fae in Lord Sugawara's rooms." Iwaizumi froze, and Oikawa gaped at the newcomer. 

"Kuroo? But that's impossible," Oikawa snapped. "Kenma told me he died."

"Azumane must have managed to save him," Kenjirou replied. "And Lord Sugawara probably hid his magic to convince everyone he was dead." Daishou tilted his head.

"I always wondered what Sugawara's special power was," he mused. "Well done, Kenjirou. I'll forgive your tardiness. Eita, our performance was lacking."

"I-"

"Wait, aren't you two Spring fae?" Iwaizumi interrupted. 

"Iwaizumi, don't," Oikawa snapped, but Iwaizumi didn't listen. 

"How could you betray your lord like this?" Iwaizumi demanded, staring at them. "You should be attacking Daishou, not telling him about your lord's magical abilities."

"I'm loyal to Ushijima, not Sugawara," the one called Kenjirou said, shifting his hold on the Spring Lord, who lay limply in his arms, the electricity having apparently knocked him unconscious. 

"I follow orders," Semi added. 

"But how could you willingly ally yourself with someone like Ushijima?" Iwaizumi protested, thinking of the dead look Oikawa got when he talked about the Winter Lord, and the scars around Futakuchi's neck, and what Oikawa had said about Akaashi's wings. 

"It sounds like you don't care much for Lord Ushijima," Daishou observed. Iwaizumi scowled, not noticing the way Oikawa was frantically gesturing for him to just  _shut up_. 

"I'm only here because I swore to serve Tendou. But if Kuroo really is alive, then Tendou isn't the rightful Autumn Lord," Iwaizumi snapped. A smirk spread across Daishou's face. 

"He doesn't know what he's saying," Oikawa broke in. "Of course he's loyal to Ushijima, and whether Kuroo is alive or not, Tendou is the one with the Circlet, so-"

"If you keep defending this traitor, I'll have to assume you still harbor feelings for him," Daishou announced. "As it is, I already heard you scream his name when Sugawara got a bit of water in him. I'll be telling Ushijima about that. Now...Kenjirou, you and Tooru take the Spring Lord to Ushijima. Eita, subdue the traitor and bring him along. I'm going to try to confirm Kenjirou's report." Before Oikawa could protest, or Iwaizumi could figure out what Daishou meant, electricity coursed through him, and Iwaizumi's body writhed on its own. He shouted and fell, the pain burning through him and making his vision swim. "Knock him out, Eita," Iwaizumi heard distantly. A fresh surge of fiery pain lanced through him, and he collapsed, consciousness fleeing. 


	12. Winter Brand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame A_Sirens_Lullaby and Catastrokey wholeheartedly for this. They have encouraged all of the pain. Just so you all know.

Sugawara hissed in pain as he tried to sit up. His whole body ached, from his feet to the tips of his wings. He reached for his magic, but the physical discomfort was too much, and the magic didn't answer his call.

"Don't try to move yet," a familiar voice urged. Suga froze, but allowed himself to be guided back down onto whatever surface he'd been laying on. It was softer than he expected, and smooth enough that it didn't chafe at his wings at all. He knew that voice, knew the feeling of the calloused but gentle hands that had guided him to lay down. 

"Wakatoshi," Suga murmured, looking up at the person leaning over him. 

"That's right. Hello again, Koushi. It's been a while since we had any time to talk just the two of us," Ushijima replied. 

"That's because you left me after I told you I didn't want to help you become king," Suga pointed out.

"You would have tried to stop me," Ushijima sighed. "You still tried to stop me. I know Kuroo's survival was your doing."

"Ah, you found out about that, huh?" Suga said with a slight smile. "I'm rather proud of that. After all, it took a lot of magic to hide him from your spies. I just wish I'd realized you had turned some of my own people against me. How did you get Semi and Shirabu on your side, Wakatoshi?"

"Daishou recruited them. I don't know how, and I don't particularly care," Ushijima answered. "But they did their part, without any sign of conflicting loyalties, so I'm 'giving them a chance. Just like I'm giving you a chance," he added. Suga tensed and tried to sit up again, but Ushijima put a hand on his chest and applied just enough pressure that Suga's aching muscles protested, and he flopped back with a huff. 

"I told you years ago, Wakatoshi. I don't want to be part of this," Suga snapped. Ushijima sighed. 

"I know you don't. But it's only because you don't understand what I'm trying to do. The Courts were always meant to be unified under a king, the way it used to be," he said.

"The Court system works, except when fae are forced into a Court they don't want and then isolated from their loved ones," Suga replied pointedly. 

"The happiness of a few must sometimes be sacrificed for the good of all," Ushijima countered. "But I'm not here to discuss philosophies with you, Koushi. I'm here to ask you to give me your circlet willingly, and stand by my side when I become king." Suga's eyes widened. 

"Wakatoshi, even if I agreed with your outlook... I loved you once, but I moved on. I thought you had, too," he said gently. "Don't you have Oikawa now?" Ushijima let out a harsh laugh. 

"Oikawa thinks he can use sex to distract me and keep me from punishing his little followers as harshly when they make mistakes or fail to carry out orders, and I let him. But there's no emotion in our arrangement, and there doesn't need to be. All I want from Oikawa is loyalty and obedience." Ushijima brought his hand up, pressed his palm to Suga's cheek and slid his thumb over his cheekbone lightly. "I want you by my side, Koushi. You said you loved me once. You can learn to love me again."

"No, Wakatoshi. I love someone else now," Suga told him firmly. "And if you want my circlet, you're going to have to take it, because I'm not handing over the Spring Court to you, not when I know the conditions the Winter fae have been living in." Ushijima sighed. 

"I'm sorry, Koushi," he said, deftly plucking the delicate silver circlet from his head. Suga tensed and reached for it, but his arms didn't respond to his commands quite right, and he ended up grasping at air. "You'll come around, I'm sure. But for now, you stay here. I have to go deal with Oikawa." Before Suga could reply, Ushijima straightened and left the room. There was a soft click, followed by the crackle of magic, and Suga knew that even once his body stopped hurting so much and started cooperating again, he wasn't getting out of this room. 

Ushijima made his way to the room where he usually listened to reports. As soon as he heard what had happened - Iwaizumi had been in danger of drowning, and Oikawa had actually tried to kill Sugawara for it, apparently, then defended Iwaizumi when his words bordered on betrayal - he'd ordered Oikawa to stay in that room until Ushijima decided what to do with him. Semi had been left to keep an eye on Oikawa, while Shirabu had hauled Iwaizumi to a different room, with orders to guard him until Ushijima, Tendou, or Daishou came to decide how Iwaizumi should be punished. Ushijima stepped into the room where Oikawa waited and studied the water fae silently. Oikawa, who had been sitting against the wall, stood when Ushijima walked in. 

"You've been so insistent that Iwaizumi isn't yours anymore, but you jumped to defend him twice today, both times putting your mission at risk," Ushijima said, voice even, hiding whatever anger he might be feeling. 

"He's Tendou's second. Isn't he important to your plans now?" Oikawa asked, his fingers clenching around the edge of his cloak. 

"No, he isn't. Tendou seems to think his strength has value, but Daishou's new recruits outperformed him today. In fact, they outperformed  _you_ today," Ushijima informed him coldly. "You need to be reminded of where your loyalties are supposed to lie, Oikawa. You need a reminder of where you belong - who you belong to." Oikawa flinched away from the words. 

"You know I'm loyal to you. I'm your second in command; I was just trying to-"

"If you fail one more time, you won't be my second in command anymore," Ushijima interrupted. Oikawa froze, wide-eyed. "One more failure, and I'm going to promote Daishou over you." Oikawa's blood turned to ice as fear washed over him. "In the meantime...come here." Oikawa obeyed, crossing the room to stand in front of Ushijima, his movements stiff with dread. Ushijima reached out, brushed Oikawa's cloak open, and set his hand on his hip. Oikawa fought against the urge to flinch, to pull away. 

Then magic burned into his skin, different from the magical pain of Ushijima's usual punishments, and different then the burning pain of electricity. This was pure flames, biting into his flesh. He screamed, his knees buckling beneath him, and Ushijima stepped back, letting him fall to the floor. The fire faded after a few seconds, but the area where Ushijima's hand had been was raw, tender, like it had actually been set on fire. Oikawa stared up at Ushijima, eyes watering at the pain no matter how hard he tried to blink the moisture away. 

"Remember who you're supposed to be loyal to," Ushijima said. Oikawa brought a hand to his hip, pushing his shirt up and staring at the  _handprint burned into his skin_. The burn itself didn't hurt after a minute, and Oikawa was sure that just meant the nerves were dead there. But around the edge of the burn, the outline of Ushijima's hand on his skin, ached fiercely. "Now, let's go. Daishou should be back by now, and we need to deal with your precious Iwaizumi."

"He's not mine," Oikawa whispered, trying to force his voice not to shake. "He's not. I haven't had anyone or anything for myself since I joined you." 

"Then you won't mind coming with me to decide what will happen to Iwaizumi and watch him receive his punishment," Ushijima replied. Oikawa fought the urge to flinch again, fought the little voice in the back of his head telling him to get  _away,_ to make an excuse about the burn on his hip hurting, so he didn't have to watch whatever was in store for Iwaizumi. He couldn't afford to make Ushijima suspicious by making excuses, even if they were valid ones, and anyway...he wasn't sure he'd be able to forgive himself if he took the easy way out and left Iwaizumi to face his punishment alone.

"Of course I don't mind. I told you, he isn't my lover anymore," Oikawa agreed, fighting to sound calm and failing as he stood, the motion dragging fabric over the burn. Except it wasn't just a burn, Oikawa realized. It was a damned  _brand._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will probably be worse.   
> Just a heads-up.


	13. Autumn Agony

Daishou waited until his recruits and the others were out of sight, then turned to Futakuchi, who was standing quietly by his side, waiting for instructions. 

"This place is going to be crawling with Spring fae any second. Let's head for Sugawara's rooms and see if we can catch ourselves a fallen Autumn Lord," Daishou said cheerfully. He jumped into the air, and Futakuchi followed him without hesitation. They approached the area of the Spring Palace that housed Sugawara's rooms and flew lower. "There. I spy a fae with no wings," Daishou announced. "Kenji, take him down for me," he ordered, pointing to a pair of fae who appeared to be fleeing the palace. One, Daishou easily recognized as the smallest of Oikawa's band of followers, Kenma. The other, the one with no wings, who was walking rather unsteadily, as though he still wasn't sure quite how to walk without the weight of his wings on his back, was Kuroo. Futakuchi dove, tackling Kuroo and pinning him to the ground before he or Kenma even realized there was a threat approaching. Kenma whirled on Futakuchi and reached for the little pouch of stones that he kept spells in, but Daishou landed between Futakuchi and Kenma. 

"Daishou," Kenma hissed. "Shouldn't you be with the others?" Daishou grinned and called on his lightning magic, making sparks dance over his fingertips as he crouched beside Kuroo, who was pressed face down into the ground by Futakuchi. Kuroo hissed when Futakuchi bumped the place where his wings had once emerged from his back. 

"Shouldn't you have made sure our dear former Autumn Lord died when he was supposed to?" Daishou replied, leaning over and gripping Kuroo's wild hair, tugging a bit to lift his head away from the ground. Kuroo winced, but when he opened his mouth to complain, Futakuchi shifted on his back, and he bit his lip to keep from yelling. "Because I'm pretty sure that was your mission, and yet...he looks pretty lively to me. Should Kenji and I make him scream to see just how alive he is?"

"What do you want, Daishou?" Kenma snapped, golden eyes flashing. "If you're going to kill us, do it already." 

"Oh, no, if I wanted you dead, I could have killed you from the air instead of sending Kenji after your wingless lord here," Daishou smirked. "No, I have a job for you, Kenma. I want you to find a certain solitary fae and let him know that his precious lover is in trouble." Kenma's eyes widened. "You find Sawamura Daichi, tell him that Ushijima has Sugawara, and I'll tell Ushijima that the reports of Kuroo's survival and your presence here are unconfirmed. I'll tell him you either got away before I arrived, or were never here to begin with. So, do we have a deal?" Kenma hesitated, staring at him. Daishou tightened his grip on Kuroo's hair.

"Ow, watch it, asshole," Kuroo hissed, flinching. Daishou just shrugged and released his hold. 

"Choose fast, before the Spring fae show up," Daishou urged. 

"All right," Kenma agreed. "I'll do it." Daishou beamed.

"Great! And just remember that if you don't keep up your end of the bargain, I'll just suggest to Ushijima that Oikawa and the others helped you keep Kuroo's survival secret, and then they'll be in for an extra dose of hell," he said cheerfully. "Kenji, let's go back." Futakuchi jumped into the air, and Kuroo yelped at the added pressure from Futakuchi's takeoff. Daishou followed him into the air, and together they flew back toward the Winter Palace. 

When they arrived, Tendou was waiting for them. 

"Ushijima and I decided on Iwaizumi's punishment," the Autumn Lord said as they landed. He didn't look pleased with whatever they'd decided. Daishou wondered if Tendou just wanted to handle his second in command's discipline himself, or if he was having doubts about Ushijima's methods. Either way, Daishou made careful note of it as he smiled.

"Oh? What's it going to be?" Daishou asked. 

"Ushijima said we should let you handle it," Tendou said, biting back a sigh. Daishou blinked, then gave Tendou his best polite smile.

"Don't worry, your second in command is in good hands with me," Daishou assured him. "I'll make sure he never even thinks about betraying you." That seemed to reassure Tendou, and Daishou thought that maybe Tendou's reluctance was because he was afraid Iwaizumi would be more tempted to turn on him after being punished. "Where is he?"

"Ushijima said he'd take him to the viewing room, whatever that means," Tendou answered. Daishou grinned. 

"Ushijima must be either really angry with Oikawa or really pleased with me today," he commented, leading the way. Futakuchi stuck even closer to his side than usual, and Daishou slid an arm around his waist. "Don't worry, Iwaizumi's the one being punished today, not you," Daishou assured him. Futakuchi relaxed slightly. They walked into a large, open room. Daishou was particularly fond of carrying out punishments in this room because of the way screams echoed in it. There were also wards in the room that let Ushijima decide who could use magic inside and who couldn't. Iwaizumi stood against one wall, scowling, wrists and ankles attached to the wall with Ushijima's ice magic manacles. Across the room, Ushijima was standing with Oikawa at his side. Daishou hid a frown as he noticed that Oikawa seemed to be favoring one side while trying not to move around much. Tendou made his way over to Ushijima and stood on his other side, while Daishou had to remind himself not to skip happily as he went to Iwaizumi. 

"You saw the whole incident yourself, so I'm letting you decide the severity of his punishment," Ushijima said. "He also tried to fight Semi and Shirabu when they tried to bring him here, so keep that in mind." Daishou bowed to Ushijima.

"I'll take care of this," Daishou assured him. He shifted so he could observe Iwaizumi's and Oikawa's reactions as he added, "Have you punished Tooru yet?" Ushijima reached out and hooked an arm around Oikawa's waist, his hand settling possessively on the water fae's hip. Oikawa flinched and whimpered at the touch. Iwaizumi's eyes widened, and something that Daishou thought was horror and guilt flashed across his face. Interesting. 

"Oikawa just needed to be reminded where his loyalties really lie," Ushijima said calmly, tightening his grip on Oikawa's hip and drawing a pained cry from him. Ushijima didn't think Oikawa had been punished quite enough, then. Good.

"Kenji, sit over there," Daisou ordered, gesturing off to the side. Futakuchi took his place, sitting against the wall with his legs tucked neatly beneath him. "Now...Tooru, your fire fae's name is Hajime, right?" There was a moment of silence before Oikawa replied.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that he's not mine, but yes," Oikawa said, a grim tone to the words that made Daishou smile. 

"Well, then, Hajime, let's get started," Daishou hummed. He stepped to the side, making sure Oikawa could see exactly what he was doing, then brought his hand up to Iwaizumi's neck. Lightning sparked into being around Iwaizumi's throat, forming a collar tight enough that as the electricity fluctuated, a few stray sparks hit Iwaizumi's skin, making him jolt and hiss in discomfort. Daishou hummed, letting his fingers trail over the skin of Iwaizumi's throat, sparing a glance at Oikawa, who looked like he was going to be sick. Smirking, Daishou formed cuffs around Iwaizumi's wrists the same way, then glanced at Ushijima, who waved the hand not clamped on Oikawa's hip, banishing the ice manacles. Before Iwaizumi could process the fact that his wrists were no longer frozen to the wall, Daishou hauled his wrists up, over his head, and pinned them against the wall. It took a moment's concentration, but Daishou altered the cuffs so they would hold Iwaizumi's hands in place. "How's that, Hajime? Not too tight, I hope?" Daishou asked. Iwaizumi's scowl darkened, and he looked like he was biting his tongue to keep himself from snapping at Daishou, but then he glanced at Oikawa and stayed silent. "All right, I'll give you one chance to apologize for your actions earlier. If you do, I might go easy on you."

"Fuck you," Iwaizumi snapped. Daishou considered responding to that, but just shrugged and pressed his hand against Iwaizumi's stomach. The fire fae snarled and twisted, clearly not liking having Daishou touch him. Daishou smirked and sent a pulse of electricity through his hand, into Iwaizumi's body, making him jerk and shout. His fists clenched, and his arms pulled against the electric restraints on his wrists, which added another pulse of energy and made him cry out again. Daishou pressed harder against his stomach, pushing his back against the wall, then pulled his hand back, revealing a hole burned into the shirt where the lightning magic had passed between them. 

"That mouth of yours has already gotten you in trouble once today, Hajime," Daishou sighed. "You really should think about things before you say them." Iwaizumi glared as fiercely as he could when his body was shaking from the effects of the electricity. Before Iwaizumi could reply, Daishou pressed his hand over the hole burned into Iwaizumi's shirt and sent another jolt of electricity through him. Iwaizumi screamed, body arching, arms trembling, wings jumping from the burning agony that flowed through every inch of him, compounded whenever he moved by the lightning cuffs on his wrists and the collar around his neck. Daishou let the shocks fade and pressed Iwaizumi's back to the wall again, pinning his wings painfully. Daishou wondered if he could get a reaction out of Oikawa if he kept manhandling Iwaizumi like this. After all, Oikawa was fully aware that Daishou could use his magic to torture people with no physical contact at all. Oikawa would know that Daishou was touching Iwaizumi just because he could, and because Oikawa couldn't. 

"Don't call me that," Iwaizumi growled, the words coming out rough and quiet. Daishou tilted his head.

"What? But I always call people by their given names after I've heard them scream in agony," he said. "Kenji, Eita, Kenjirou, even Tooru and his little band of followers." Iwaizumi flinched at Oikawa's name, and Daishou knew for certain then that even if Oikawa had been telling the truth all the times he denied still having feelings for Iwaizumi, the fire fae still cared deeply for Oikawa. "Do you want to hear Tooru scream, Hajime?" Iwaizumi's reply is low and fierce, quiet enough that Ushijima and the others probably can't hear.

"Don't you touch him. Don't you  _dare_ touch him," Iwaizumi hissed, glaring. Daishou smirked. He knew just how to break this one, to keep the assurances he'd given Tendou about making sure that Iwaizumi wouldn't betray him. 

"Lord Ushijima," Daishou began, keeping his gaze locked on Iwaizumi. "Could I borrow Tooru for a bit?" Iwaizumi's whole body tensed, his expression frozen in horror as he waited for Ushijima's reply. 

"What for?" Ushijima asked, tilting his head thoughtfully. 

"I think that Hajime here needs to learn a very important lesson," Daishou replied. "And Tooru is the perfect person to help me teach it to him."

"All right," Ushijima agreed. Daishou beckoned to Oikawa, who didn't move until Ushijima pushed him forward. Oikawa yelped and stumbled toward Daishou, regaining a semblance of composure by the time he stood beside the lightning fae. 

"So,  _Suguru,_ what lesson are we teaching?" Oikawa asked, fake smile in place as he struggled to hide the pain he was in from whatever Ushijima had done to him before making him watch Iwaizumi's punishment. 

"We're going to teach Hajime that when he misbehaves, he's not the only one who gets hurt," Daishou replied, reaching out and laying his hand on Oikawa's hip, the same spot Ushijima had been putting pressure on, which seemed to be causing the majority of Oikawa's pain. Oikawa flinched at the touch, but Daishou just sent a wave of electricity out through his fingertips, into Oikawa's body. He screamed, a raw, desperate sound that ripped from his throat as he collapsed, writhing as the currents surged through him. Daishou found himself rather pleased with the reaction, because he knew that Oikawa wasn't one to overreact or make things seem more painful than they were. Daishou eased his magic back, leaving Oikawa on the floor, panting and whimpering from the pain, and turned back to Iwaizumi, who was staring at Oikawa like his world had just shattered. "There, you see, Hajime? When you step out of line, when other people try to spare you from pain the way Tooru did when he tried to defend you earlier, other people get hurt. So just keep your head down, follow orders, and don't even think about turning on Tendou or Lord Ushijima." Daishou reached up and patted Iwaizumi's cheek lightly. "Of course, if you do misbehave, I hope you'll get sent to me." Iwaizumi tensed, looked like he was going to say something, but Daishou's hand, still on Iwaizumi's cheek, settled more firmly against his skin, and he sent a new wave of burning, electric pain crashing over the stubborn fire fae. Screams poured from Iwaizumi's throat with hardly a pause for him to inhale a new breath before he was crying out again, over and over, his body jerking against his restraints. Finally, when Iwaizumi's cries faded - he'd screamed himself hoarse, Daishou noted - he stepped back. 

"Done?" Ushijima asked. Daishou nodded, eyeing Iwaizumi, who hung limply from the lightning around his wrists. Oikawa still lay on the floor, and Daishou thought he saw tears on the water fae's cheeks. 

"I think he's learned his lesson. I wouldn't recommend healing him too much, though," Daishou added. "The ache he'll have for a while will be a good reminder if you only heal him enough that his body won't shut down from all of the electricity."

"Tendou, if you have a healer, have them come and collect Iwaizumi. Daishou will tell them how much to heal Iwaizumi for now," Ushijima decided. 

"I'll send two, if you'd like," Tendou replied. "Since my second caused so much trouble, I'll send one healer to take care of Iwaizumi and one to tend Oikawa." There was a pause, and then Ushijima nodded. 

"Very well. Daishou, did you confirm Shirabu's report?" Ushijima asked. 

"I'm afraid that if Kuroo is alive, and if Kenma is with him, they were gone by the time I reached the area of the Spring Palace that Kenjirou said they were in," Daishou replied. "I'm sorry."

"Soon, it won't matter anymore," Ushijima said dismissively. "Well done, as always." Then he turned and left.

"The healers I'm sending will be two water fae named Hanamaki and Matsukawa," Tendou told Daishou. "They should follow your directions on how much healing to do." Daishou smiled and nodded respectfully. 

"Thank you. I'll have my Kenji wait at the gates for them and bring them here," Daishou replied. Futakuchi rose from his place against the wall and left, taking Daishou's words as an order and obeying without question. Tendou glanced at Iwaizumi, then turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Daishou smirked to himself and flapped a hand at the lightning restraints, making them vanish. Iwaizumi fell to the floor, nearly falling on top of Oikawa. Daishou shook his head, then nudged at Iwaizumi with one foot, pushing him farther from the water fae. He glanced at Oikawa and paused. In all of the thrashing from electrocution, Oikawa's cloak had fallen open, and his shirt had ridden up his side just enough to reveal a very permanent-looking burn in the shape of a handprint on his hip. Daishou laughed and crouched beside Oikawa, who had his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to steady his breathing. "You got yourself branded? I'm impressed," Daishou mused, gripping Oikawa's hair and pulling his head off the floor. "I guess that means even when Ushijima's king, even if he manages to get his old lover back, he's never going to let you go, huh?" Oikawa whimpered, his eyes glazed with pain, and Daishou tutted and let go of his hair, letting him fall abruptly to the floor again. "Tooru and Hajime, you two are quite the pair," Daishou commented. "You two really should figure out that if you want to protect each other, you should stop scheming and saying things that sound like treason."

"Fuck you," Iwaizumi rasped, the words barely audible. Oikawa flinched at his voice, and Daishou looked over and raised one eyebrow. He'd thought Iwaizumi was mostly unconscious at that point. "Fuck you, and your master." Daishou considered electrocuting him again, just to prove a point, but then he shrugged. After all, he knew a much better, faster way to punish Iwaizumi for those particular words.

"Ah, but fucking my master is Tooru's specialty," Daishou said cheerfully. 

Horrified silence fell over the room, broken only by Oikawa's muffled cries as he buried his face in the fur trim of his cloak, as though hiding his tears would make it better. Iwaizumi looked like he wanted to say something, to comfort Oikawa somehow, but he stayed silent and unmoving as they waited for the Autumn healers to arrive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to my friends and the lovely people who commented on this and accidentally (or on purpose) inspired extra levels of angst and pain this chapter!  
> You know who you are.


	14. Autumn Resolution

Hanamaki wasn't sure what to expect when he walked into what their quiet, empty-eyed escort had called the viewing room, but seeing Iwaizumi crumpled on the floor, his wingtips blackened from electric shock, the feeling of lightning magic lingering around his body, was  _not_ what Hanamaki had thought he would find. He'd been told to go, help Matsukawa heal a couple of fae, and to follow directions on how much to heal them. He hadn't been told that Iwaizumi would be one of his patients, or that he looked like he'd been struck by lightning. Repeatedly. 

"Thank you for coming," a fae that Hanamaki didn't recognize greeted them. He had a polite, almost cheerful demeanor about him. "You just need to check for life-threatening electricity-related injuries and heal them enough to make sure they don't die from them." 

"You don't want us to heal them all the way?" Matsukawa asked, frowning as he glanced worriedly at Iwaizumi. 

"No. And if you do, I'm afraid they'll just be punished all over again, and you'll be joining them," the stranger replied lightly. "I'm leaving Kenji here to supervise. If you step out of line, he'll call me, and then you'll be in trouble." The polite facade was gone, and there was something sinister in the stranger's eyes. "Oh, and don't heal the burn on that one's hip at all. Lord Ushijima will know if you do, and he will be  _very_ displeased." With that, the stranger left the room. 

"Iwaizumi, what happened to you?" Hanamaki blurted out as soon as the stranger was gone. He rushed to his friend's side and sent a wave of soothing water magic over him, checking his injuries. There was so much internal burning and electricity damage that he wondered how Iwaizumi was even conscious. 

"Doesn't matter," Iwaizumi growled. "Help Oikawa first." Hanamaki froze and looked over at the other crumpled form in the room. He was clearly a Winter fae from his cloak, and there was something familiar about him, but because he had his face hidden in his hood, Hanamaki wouldn't have known who it was if Iwaizumi hadn't said his name. After all, Hanamaki hadn't seen Oikawa since Iwaizumi joined Autumn.

"Oikawa?" Matsukawa repeated. The Winter fae wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and didn't answer. Matsukawa hesitantly reached out and touched his shoulder, examining him with his water magic. "Holy shit. What  _happened_ to him?" 

"I'll tell you after you  _help him,"_ Iwaizumi snapped, his voice rough, hoarse, as though he'd been screaming his head off. Matsukawa and Hanamaki exchanged worried glances, and then Matsukawa started carefully feeding healing water magic into his body. Oikawa flinched, and the motion must have hurt, because a quiet whimper escaped his throat. Iwaizumi winced at the sound, as though Oikawa's pain physically hurt him. Hanamaki cast one more glance at Oikawa and Matsukawa, then focused on Iwaizumi and began healing him, starting with his throat, because Hanamaki hated the way the roughness in Iwaizumi's voice gave away just how much pain he'd experienced. 

"Who did this to you?" Hanamaki demanded, only barely managing to resist the urge to clench his fingers into fists. 

"It doesn't matter," Iwaizumi replied. "Is Oikawa going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Matsukawa answered. "That burn on his hip worries me, though. I should probably go ahead and-"

"No!" Oikawa hissed. "Don't. Just do your job and leave." Hanamaki froze. Oikawa sounded  _awful._ His voice was shaking, broken, and raw, like he'd been screaming and crying too much recently. For a long moment, there was silence. Then the dead-eyed escort from before, who'd been standing dutifully by the door, spoke up.

"If you heal more than you're supposed to, Suguru will only hurt them again," he whispered, his voice faint with disuse. "And if you ruin Ushijima's brand, you'll be in trouble." 

"Brand?" Hanamaki repeated, horrified. There was another long silence, and then Oikawa shifted, hauling himself into a sitting position and hissing as he moved. Oikawa pulled his cloak and then his shirt away from his hip, revealing the handprint scorched into his skin. Hanamaki's stomach heaved. 

"Shit," Matsukawa hissed. "I could sense the damage from the burn, but..." He shuddered. "Why would anyone  _do_ that to someone else?"

"To remind me who I belong to, apparently," Oikawa answered bitterly. The dead-eyed escort at the door flinched and lifted a hand to his own neck, where burn scars encircled his throat. "Just heal the lightning magic damage and go already." Matsukawa and Hanamaki hesitated, then got back to work. 

"All right, that's enough," the dead-eyed escort said a moment later. 

"But he's going to be in pain for days like this!" Hanamaki protested, staring from Iwaizumi to the stranger and back. "Please, just a little more."

"Futakuchi's right," Oikawa said grimly. "You're going to get everyone in trouble if you heal much more. Besides, us being in pain is the whole point." 

"That's horrible," Matsukawa announced, staring at the burn on Oikawa's hip. 

"That's the Winter Court," Oikawa replied. "You do whatever it takes to survive." Iwaizumi tensed and looked away, and Oikawa flinched. Hanamaki frowned; he was definitely missing something, here. 

"I'm sorry," Iwaizumi said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Oikawa. It's my fault Ushijima hurt you. If I hadn't said those things back at the Spring Palace..." As much as Hanamaki wanted to know exactly what had happened - why had either of them been in the Spring Palace? - he could tell that there was something hanging between them that they needed to work out on their own. 

"If you're sure we shouldn't heal you any farther, maybe we should go. You two seem like you need to talk," Matsukawa said. Hanamaki nodded, grateful that he and Matsukawa were thinking along the same lines. 

"Hey, Futakuchi, right?" Hanamaki asked, glancing at the dead-eyed fae who'd led them to the room. "Can you show us out?" Futakuchi nodded. 

"Stay here," he said to Oikawa and Iwaizumi. Then he turned and led Hanamaki and Matsukawa out of the room. Once they were far enough away that they were sure the two injured fae they'd left behind wouldn't hear any commotion they caused, Hanamaki and Matsukawa stopped walking. Futakuchi turned to stare at them, only to find Matsukawa stepping forward and shoving him against the wall. 

"You're going to tell us everything that happened to them," Matsukawa snarled. "Or you're the one who's going to need healing." Futakuchi didn't even flinch at the way his wings were being crushed against the wall. He just let out a small sigh, more resigned than scared. Hanamaki frowned; there was no fear in those dark, lifeless eyes. 

"Forget what happened to Iwaizumi," Hanamaki snapped. "What the hell happened to  _you?_ You look...broken." Futakuchi just stared at them for a moment.

"Be glad you belong to the Autumn Court. Not that it'll matter soon," Futakuchi said finally. Then he slipped out of Matsukawa's hold and continued down the hallway. "Please follow me to the palace gates."

Back in the viewing room, Oikawa got to his feet, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood as the tender skin around the brand pulled and stretched with the movement. Iwaizumi scrambled up, then fell back with a little yelp as his muscles protested, still aching fiercely from the electricity that had coursed through him earlier. Oikawa froze at the sound and glanced over his shoulders. 

"How can you  _stand?"_ Iwaizumi hissed, staring at him. Oikawa looked down at him with such pain and pity and sorrow in his eyes that Iwaizumi flinched.

"I'm used to pain, Iwaizumi," Oikawa said quietly. "Believe it or not, this isn't the worst thing I've had to endure in the last few years." Iwaizumi froze, and Oikawa read his expression, knew he was thinking about Diashou's words. "Go ahead. Ask. I know you've been wondering since he said it," Oikawa snapped, bitterness lacing his words. Iwaizumi hesitated, then decided to just get it out of the way.

"Are you and Ushijima really...?" 

"Daishou is many, many terrible things," Oikawa said grimly. "But as far as I know, he hasn't told a lie since he broke Futakuchi, and that was a few years ago." Iwaizumi was tempted to take that opportunity to change the topic, but his gaze fell to Oikawa's hip, where Ushijima's handprint was burned into his skin. 

"Why? He's done nothing but hurt you since you joined, right? So why?" Iwaizumi asked. 

"Because when Ushijima is in a good mood, just a little tired from not getting enough sleep, he's calmer, and doesn't hand down punishment as harshly as usual," Oikawa replied. "It's a small price to pay to keep things like what happened to you today from happening to Kenma or Akaashi or Yahaba. It's not always enough, but..." Oikawa sighed. "You were never supposed to know. I didn't think you'd live long enough to find out, not when Ushijima was so intent on Tendou killing you in his attack on Kuroo. But even when I knew you  had survived, I never, ever wanted you to know." Iwaizumi didn't know what to say. What _could_ he say, when Oikawa had gotten into this mess to protect him? What could he say, when everything Oikawa had to endure - the pain, the fear,  _everything_ \- was because he'd chosen Iwaizumi's safety over his own freedom? 

"Why didn't you want me to know?" Iwaizumi asked quietly.

"why didn't I...are you serious? I didn't want you to look at me like _that,"_ Oikawa snapped, gesturing to Iwaizumi's face. 

"Like what?" Iwaizumi frowned. He didn't think he'd been looking at Oikawa any way that would upset him...

"Like I'm pitiful, or broken," Oikawa snapped. "I'm not like Futakuchi just yet, damn it. I'm still me." 

"I didn't think you were broken," Iwaizumi said softly. "I think you're so strong that it scares me. But you're also at Ushijima's mercy, which I don't think he actually has any of. He fucking  _branded_ you, Oikawa. I hate the idea of him touching you." There was a pause, and Iwaizumi took a deep breath. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get you away from him," he announced. Oikawa's eyes widened. "I'm going to get you out of here, one way or another." Oikawa wasn't sure what exactly Iwaizumi meant by that, and honestly, Iwaizumi wasn't sure either. Because if Oikawa's plans didn't work, Iwaizumi wasn't sure what else he could really do. 

"Iwa..." Oikawa stared at him for a long moment. Then he held out a hand. "Let's get you on your feet, okay?" Iwaizumi hesitated, frowning, then took his hand. Oikawa pulled him to his feet, both of them hissing in pain at the movement. Oikawa didn't let go of Iwaizumi's hand, though. Instead, he leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Ushijima is probably expecting me to report to him now that I'm on my feet, and Tendou is probably expecting you. We should go," Oikawa said quietly. 

"You're just going to go back to him like everything is normal? Oikawa, you're flinching every time you move," Iwaizumi protested. "You need to rest." 

"He never rests when he should," Akaashi commented from the door. Oikawa managed a smile. "Ushijima said to tell you that new kid, Semi, is going to join us to replace Yahaba. The other one, Shirabu, is going to be Daishou's subordinate." 

"Replace Yahaba?" Oikawa repeated, eyes narrow with suspicion. "Please don't tell me..." Akaashi nodded, eyes fixed on the floor as though it was the most interesting thing in the room. 

"If Yahaba hasn't already told the Summer Court about Ushijima's plans, they'll get it out of him soon. And if he has, then he's a traitor. Either way, Ushijima wants the situation handled," Akaashi replied. 

"Handled?" Iwaizumi frowned. 

"It means I better stop flinching every time I move, because we're attacking the Summer Court soon," Oikawa explained grimly. "Akaashi, is whatever escape route you sent Bokuto on still an option? If we can avoid hurting Yahaba..."

"I don't want to send him to the same place, in case he's followed," Akaashi replied. "But we do have a second escape route from the Summer Palace. Yahaba can take that." Oikawa nodded.

"I'd better go evaluate Semi's abilities and loyalties," Oikawa sighed. "So we can properly use him when the time comes."

"I'll make sure Iwaizumi gets to where he needs to be," Akaashi assured him. Oikawa relaxed slightly, then left without another word. Once Oikawa was gone, Akaashi turned to Iwaizumi. "Did you mean what you said, about getting Oikawa out of here?" Iwaizumi blinked, then nodded.

"Of course. Are you going to go tell Daishou about it?" he asked. 

"I wouldn't tell Daishou anything he could use against Oikawa," Akaashi replied grimly. "Besides, you know almost as much about Oikawa's plans as I do. Are you going to tell Daishou about it?"

"And give him an excuse to hurt Oikawa again? Hell no," Iwaizumi snapped. "I saw Futakuchi. I know Daishou is the one who broke him. I won't let that happen to Oikawa." Akaashi smiled a small, unhappy smile. 

"Then if you really want to make sure Oikawa gets away from Ushijima, promise me something," Akaashi replied. "Promise me that if we lose, if Ushijima becomes king and we can't stop him, you'll make sure he can never hurt Oikawa again. You'll have to kill, but..."

"Won't Ushijima be too powerful to kill if that happens?" Iwaizumi pointed out. The smile, faint as it was, vanished from Akaashi's face.

"Yes. But it's not Ushijima I want you to promise to kill. If he wins, you can't let him have Oikawa. And since it will be pretty much impossible to kill Ushijima in that scenario..." Akaashi trailed off as horror and understanding flashed across Iwaizumi's features. 

"You want me to kill Oikawa," Iwaizumi realized.

"If Ushijima becomes king, it'll be the only way to get Oikawa away from him," Akaashi replied. "So promise me, Iwaizumi. Promise me that no matter what, you'll save Oikawa." Iwaizumi stared at him for a moment, taking in the determination, the fear that seemed to linger in the eyes of every Winter fae - except Daishou and Ushijima, of course - and the burned edges of his wings visible over his shoulders. Akaashi was serious about this. He'd been living in this hell alongside Oikawa for years, and was more aware of what the consequences of Oikawa's plans failing would be than Iwaizumi was. And Iwaizumi had already promised Oikawa that he would get him out of this.

"I'll do it," Iwaizumi pledged solemnly. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure Oikawa gets out of Ushijima's control."

 


	15. Summer Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's helping of suffering features character death! So yeah, you've been warned.

"You haven't tried to escape even once," Kyoutani observed. Yahaba, who was leaning comfortably against the wall of his cell beneath the Summer Palace, raised an eyebrow without opening his eyes.

"Well, my feet are still sore, even if Nishinoya did have that healer come through and patch me up. Besides, why would I want to escape?" Yahaba replied evenly. Kyoutani frowned at him.

"Why wouldn't you?" Kyoutani countered. "Or you could have exchanged the information you gave Nishinoya for your freedom instead of a quick execution."

"I have more safety, freedom, and comfort right here in this cell than I have most days in the Winter Court," Yahaba informed him calmly. Kyoutani didn't know what to say to that. "Besides, if I gave information to the Summer Court and then tried to return to Winter, I'd be facing a fate worse than death. If Ushijima found out - and he always finds out - then I'd probably be handed over to Daishou for punishment. Ushijima wouldn't trust Oikawa to be harsh enough with me, not after the last time." Kyoutani's frown deepened.

"What? The last time, not harsh enough, what are you talking about?" Kyoutani snapped. "Wouldn't they just be happy you made it back alive?" Yahaba didn't answer out loud. Instead, he pulled up his shirt, revealing a line of small scars running diagonally across his stomach from one hip to just under his ribcage on the other side. "What the fuck?"

"Oikawa gave me these scars," Yahaba told him. "He stabbed icicles through my stomach after I made the mistake of trading information on the Winter Court for information on a low-ranking Autumn fae. Ushijima didn't think it was enough punishment, so he told us that if I made another mistake, I was going to be transferred to Daishou's command."

"You got  _stabbed in the stomach repeatedly_ and then they didn't think that was  _enough?"_ The absolute horror in Kyoutani's voice made Yahaba smile. "Even if you gave away some information, nothing's bad enough to deserve that."

"It's good to know there are still places where that's not common," Yahaba murmured. "But yes. It's not like Oikawa wanted to hurt me, and honestly he did go easy on me. The ice numbed the wounds, so it wasn't nearly as painful as it could have been." He shrugged. "Anyway, that's why if I were to go back to Winter, I'd probably have to be tortured for a long time by Daishou. And he'd enjoy it too, getting to hurt one of Oikawa's people." Yahaba shuddered. "So you can see why I would prefer a quick, painless death here to going back there."

"Why do you stay? If it's that horrible, why would you stay and keep helping them?" Kyoutani demanded. "Why don't you just leave and find a better life?"

"I joined because they threatened that Autumn fae I tried to get information about. He was my best friend, someone who was like a brother to me," Yahaba answered. "I joined and I stayed to keep him safe, and then I met Oikawa and the others. Between them being trapped there and Watari being in danger, I can't just sneak away and try to build a life somewhere else. But if I die, then no one will get hurt because of my mistakes, and Oikawa will have one less weakness."

"The guy who hurt you? Why would you-"

"I told you, he didn't hurt me because he wanted to," Yahaba interrupted. "He does what he can to protect his people from the worst of the Winter Court." Kyoutani looked like he wasn't sure what to say. "Hey, Kyoutani, do me a favor. Once I'm dead, can you find Watari for me? He's in the Autumn Court, but maybe a Summer fae can get in to see him."

"Why the fuck would I-"

"Just consider it my last request or something," Yahaba interrupted. Kyoutani scowled.

"Again, why would I-" Again, Yahaba didn't let him finish.

"Could you tell him I'm sorry I left him thinking I abandoned him? I always meant to talk to him, to explain what happened..."

"Fuck that," Kyoutani snapped. "Nishinoya isn't going to execute you for a day or two probably. So you sit tight in this cell. I'll be back. You said the guy's name was Watari, right?" Before Yahaba could answer, Kyoutani turned and stalked away from his cell. Yahaba scrambled to his feet, wincing at the lingering discomfort, and went to the cell bars, trying to see where Kyoutani was going. 

Kyoutani returned hours later, with a short, worried-looking fae in tow. Yahaba gaped when they stopped outside his cell, and then Kyoutani opened the door, because Yahaba recognized his visitor, and it was someone he never thought he'd see in person again.

"Shinji!" Yahaba exclaimed, staring. Watari smiled and stepped into the cell.

"Hey, Shigeru. Long time no see," he greeted him. Yahaba flew forward to hug his old friend tightly, only half expecting the gesture to be returned, but Watari hugged him back just as tightly. 

"What are you doing here?" Yahaba demanded, refusing to let go even as he frowned over Watari's shoulder at Kyoutani. 

"That grumpy Summer guy showed up and told me you were in trouble. I didn't believe him at first, but he told me he'd explain on the way. So on the way here, he told me about your situation. Shigeru, I had no idea I was being used against you for years..." Watari trailed off. 

"I know. That's how it was supposed to be," Yahaba replied. He finally stepped back. "You weren't supposed to know. And since you do know, you're in danger now. That's why I told Kyoutani to just go apologize for me after my execution."

"Don't dump some person you barely know with your last request if you don't like how they handle it," Kyoutani snapped. 

"Wait,  _execution?"_ Watari repeated. 

"Yeah. Didn't Kyoutani tell you? I helped another Winter fae get rid of the Summer Lord. I'm supposed to be executed, although apparently not as soon as I thought," Yahaba added, narrowing his eyes at Kyoutani. 

"I also told Nishinoya about your situation before I went to get Watari. You might not get executed at all," Kyoutani informed him. Yahaba froze.

"I told you what will happen to me if I go back," he hissed. 

"Then don't go back. You and Watari might be able to stay here in the Summer Palace until things get sorted out," Kyoutani replied. "Nishinoya's considering it, at least." Yahaba blinked and almost smiled.

"That's really sweet, but it won't work," Yahaba sighed. "Trust me, you don't want to get on Ushijima's bad side by protecting me." 

"I'm not afraid of him," Kyoutani replied. "And no one deserves what you've been through." 

"In that case, I hope you'll hand him over to me so I can take care of him," announced a familiar voice. Kyoutani whirled and found himself face to face with Oikawa, who was flanked by Akaashi and someone Yahaba didn't recognize. 

"How did you get in here?" Kyoutani snarled. "And hey! You're the one who killed Lord Bokuto!" Akaashi met his angry glare steadily. 

"We've come to fetch Yahaba. Get out of the way," Akaashi warned. Kyoutani's seemingly permanent scowl darkened. 

"No." 

"We don't have time to argue, so- is that  _Watari?_ _"_ Oikawa snapped.

"Kyoutani brought him," Yahaba explained quietly.

"Why would you bring him into this? We've been able to keep him out of this for years, and now you dragged him in!" Oikawa snapped. "Now we have to take care of both of them!" Kyoutani froze, and Watari gulped. Oikawa stepped forward and flinched, lifting his hand to his hip, water magic collecting around his fingers. Kyoutani saw the magic and lunged forward, thinking Oikawa was about to attack. 

"Kyoutani, wait!" Yahaba shouted as Kyoutani's fire magic flared.

"Semi, don't!" Akaashi hissed. But the one Yahaba didn't recognize was already moving, electricity sparking as he slid between Kyoutani and Oikawa. Kyoutani slammed into Semi, who sent a bolt of lightning through the Summer fae. Kyoutani jolted and screamed, the lightning tearing through his body. He jerked and collapsed against Semi, who stumbled back into Oikawa. Oikawa yelped, and Akaashi pulled him away from the other two. "Semi! Stop it!" Semi blinked, and the lightning vanished. He disentangled himself from Kyoutani's body, which had gone horribly limp with the disappearance of the electricity. Kyoutani fell to the ground, wings smoking faintly from the lightning magic, and Semi glanced at Oikawa worriedly. 

"Kyoutani!" Yahaba shouted. He darted forward and crouched beside him. "Kyoutani, you idiot, he wasn't going to attack, that was healing magic!" Yahaba seized Kyoutani's shoulder and shook him, but got no response. "Kyoutani, wake up, you idiot." Akaashi hesitated, then crouched on the other side of Kyoutani. He sent a pulse of water magic through him, then shook his head. 

"He's gone," Akaashi murmured. He turned and glared up at Semi. "I told you to hold back. We just came to get Yahaba. There was no need for you to kill anyone."

"He was attacking Oikawa," Semi replied defensively. 

"A mild shock would have been enough," Akaashi snapped. "You aren't working for Daishou anymore, remember?" Semi flinched and looked away.

"He was being a decent person," Yahaba said quietly. "He went and found Watari for me because he was trying to be nice, and you  _killed him._ " Semi took a step back as air magic started whipping around Yahaba in a very threatening manner. Kyoutani had been grumpy about it, but after their initial fight, Kyoutani hadn't laid a hand on Yahaba. He had also been genuinely distressed about the things that Yahaba had been through in the Winter Court, and he'd gone and found Watari and brought him to see Yahaba. It was more than anyone except his fellow members of Oikawa's group had done for him in years.

"Yahaba, this is Semi," Oikawa said grimly. "Ushijima assigned him to me to replace you." Yahaba froze. Then he shifted, positioning himself between his friends and Watari. "Oh, relax, we're not going to kill you. Semi over here is on our side. Apparently working for Daishou is really horrible even if you're undercover in the Spring Court. He's agreed to help us with our plans in exchange for us treating him better than Daishou did."

"He just killed someone! Are you really going to trust him?" Watari blurted out. Oikawa and Akaashi gave Yahaba sympathetic looks.

"Shinji, whether you've killed before or not isn't what makes you trustworthy," Yahaba sighed. He glanced at Semi. "I hate you. But at least you seem dedicated to protecting Oikawa. He's going to need it."

"Especially with you and Kenma gone," Akaashi agreed. Yahaba frowned. 

"Kenma? What happened to him?" Yahaba asked. Akaashi shrugged. 

"You can ask him when you get to the solitaries. Take the secondary route," Oikawa replied. Yahaba's eyes widened. 

"Wait. You guys aren't going to-"

"You're one of us, Yahaba," Oikawa said firmly. "Take Watari with you. Find Kageyama, and he should be able to tell you at least some of what's happened. I would tell you myself, but we're running out of time," he added, glancing down the hall nervously. 

"Wait, where are we going?" Watari asked. 

"We're going to see the one person we've managed to get out of the Winter Court alive," Yahaba replied. 


	16. Solitary Rendezvous

Daichi knew his day was about to go downhill when he opened his door to find Kuroo and Kenma standing there, with Sugawara nowhere in sight. 

"Ushijima made his move, didn't he?" Daichi guessed. Kenma nodded silently and stared up at him, obviously wondering just how much Daichi knew. "Is Koushi alive?"

"Ushijima ordered them to take him alive," Kenma answered quietly. "How much do you know?"

"I know Suga's is the only circlet he didn't have access to yet," Daichi answered. "Shouldn't you be with Oikawa?"

"Ushijima can't absorb all of the power yet," Kenma answered. "He has to work slowly. At most, he can only absorb the magic from one more. He'll have to master the energy from that before he can get the next one. He'll be most vulnerable during the power surge of the fourth circlet. Anyway, Daishou seemed to think it was important that you know Lord Sugawara was captured." Daichi froze. Daishou? Daishou had sent Kenma? Did Daishou know about Kuroo's survival? Did he know about Koushi convincing Kenma to give him information about the Winter Court? Wait. 

"Daishou thought I should know?" Daichi repeated, stunned. "Daishou knows about me?"

"He mentioned you by name," Kuroo replied. "I mean, you are Sawamura Daichi, right?" Daichi frowned at Kuroo. 

"I am. But Daishou shouldn't know that. I'm solitary; he shouldn't know anything about me."

"There were traitors inside the Spring Court," Kenma told him grimly. 

"Traitors," Daichi growled. "Who? I'll rip their wings off myself." Kuroo flinched and stepped away from Daichi, who barely noticed, because he was staring at Kenma. "Who, Kenma?Who would betray Koushi?" Kenma hesitated. 

"I don't think they wanted to," he murmured at last. "I can't imagine why anyone would  _want_ to betray a decent Lord like Sugawara." Daichi scowled and stepped forward, leaning over Kenma threateningly. 

"Who. Betrayed. Koushi," he demanded. Kenma sighed. 

"I don't know for sure; they weren't ranking fae. But they were both lightning fae," he answered reluctantly. Daichi closed his eyes. There weren't many lightning fae in the Spring Court. "One of them saw me with Kuroo. Brown hair, golden wings." Daichi's scowl darkened.

"Shirabu. Which means the other one is probably Semi," Daichi growled. "I'm going to make them regret it." Kenma hesitated, staring at Daichi warily. Daichi took a deep breath. "What's the plan?"

"I don't know," Kenma answered honestly. "I had to run. I didn't even tell Oikawa that Kuroo was alive, so I don't know what his plans might be. And with Yahaba captured by the Summer Court..."

"Why is Yahaba captured?" Daichi demanded. Then he thought about it. "Is he the one who killed Bokuto?" Kuroo froze. 

"Something happened to Bokuto?" he hissed.

"Nothing happened to Bokuto," Kenma sighed. "Picking him up is our next stop, actually. He should be at Kageyama's place by now."

"Kageyama? Isn't that the name of that Winter Court recruit who...died...two years ago..." Kuroo trailed off and blinked. "Huh. Is anyone actually dead?"

"Konoha is," Kenma answered. "He was the other young fae we lost two years ago. His death is actually how we were able to smuggle Kageyama out." There was a moment of silence.

"So. Bokuto's alive?" Daichi prompted. 

"I'll update you on everything when we get to Kageyama's place," Kenma told him. "But yes. Bokuto is alive."

* * *

 

"I'm sorry," Semi said quietly, stopping in his tracks to stare at the ground. Akaashi and Oikawa exchanged quick glances, then turned to him. "If you want to cancel our deal, I understand." 

"We're not going to throw you to Daishou just because you made a mistake," Oikawa told him quietly. 

"I didn't just make a mistake. Not stopping Kenjirou from taking magic lessons in secret from Daishou was a mistake. What I did back there was murder," Semi replied grimly. "So like I said, if you want to go back on our deal..."

"Semi, it was a mistake," Oikawa said. "You were defending us, which is part of our deal. Yahaba might hold it against you - he seemed kind of attached to the guard - but we won't." Semi bit his lip. 

"So the deal is still on? If I help you and keep your secrets, you'll help me save Kenjirou?" he asked hesitantly. 

"You're both helping us in exchange for the other's safety. As long as neither of you betrays us to Daishou and Ushijima, our deal is still in place," Oikawa replied. Semi's shoulders slumped a little in relief, but some tension remained.

"Are you going to punish me for going overboard?" Semi asked. 

"No," Oikawa answered. "You're beating yourself up over this plenty as it is, and I don't hurt my people unless Ushijima forces me to, anyway." Semi stared at him for a long moment. "I promised I'd treat you better than Daishou did. That wasn't an empty promise, Semi. I won't hurt you," he said seriously. "Now, let's get back to the palace before Ushijima and Daishou get suspicious." He started walking again, and Semi followed quietly, Akaashi bringing up the rear.

* * *

 

"So, this guy got out of the Winter Court?" Watari said as he and Yahaba approached a small cottage out in the middle of nowhere, away from the gardens of the Courts. 

"Yeah. He's the only one that's made it out alive, as far as I know," Yahaba replied. "There was an accident, sort of. Two young recruits tried to sneak out of the Winter Palace, one for fun and the other to see his lover in the Summer Court. One of the younger Enforcers, Goshiki, caught them and took matters into their own hands, but he didn't have the same control as the others have. Konoha was dead when we arrived, and Kageyama's body was so full of ice blades that he was almost dead. Daishou and Ushijima were so preoccupied with handling Goshiki that they left the dead and dying recruits to us. We managed to get Kageyama stabilized enough to smuggle him out, and told Ushijima that they both died. Unfortunately, for killing two recruits in the same day without actually being told to kill them, Goshiki was executed. But Kageyama got out and made a good recovery." He lifted a hand to knock on the door, but it swung open before he could. 

"Yahaba," Kageyama greeted him. Watari tried not to stare; the fae's skin wherever it was visible was dotted with puncture scars. "Please tell me you're here to get Bokuto. He keeps swinging between sulking and bouncing off the walls because apparently Akaashi is in danger." Yahaba sighed.

"Wait. So you didn't actually kill Summer Lord Bokuto?" Watari blinked. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because there were more important things, like keeping you from having any knowledge of our plans until we were safely into solitary fae territory," Yahaba answered. "Hello, Kageyama. How have you been?"

"Did you miss the part about Bokuto's mood swings?" Kageyama grumbled. "Please tell me Akaashi is alive, because if he's gotten himself killed, Bokuto is going to be even more impossible."

"I heard Keiji's name!" Bokuto's voice called from inside the house. "If he here?"

"No, it's Yahaba and some short guy I don't know," Kageyama replied. 

"Is Keiji okay?" Bokuto demanded, peering over Kageyama's shoulder at them.

"He's fine," Yahaba replied. "Apart from the burned wings, anyway." Kageyama hissed in sympathy, his own wings twitching. 

"You'd better come in and tell me what happened to you," he sighed. 

"Is Kenma here yet?" Yahaba asked. "I was told he'd be with the solitaries, so I assumed he'd come here." 

"Kenma? No, I haven't seen him. What's happened that two of Oikawa's group are out here?" Kageyama demanded as he turned to let them in. Watari froze when he saw Kageyama's wings. They were deep blue, and looked like they had once been beautiful, but the scars on his skin carried over onto his wings, which were dotted with so many that it must have made it difficult to fly. 

"Well, I got captured by the Summer Court after helping Akaashi kill Bokuto over there," Yahaba answered. "But something must have happened with Kenma while I was in a cell under the Summer Palace. I didn't have time to ask for details, though."

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Kageyama murmured when he glanced over his shoulder, past Yahaba and Watari. They turned and saw Kenma, the solitary fae Sawamura Daichi, and former Autumn Lord Kuroo walking toward Kageyama's home.

"Oh, yeah, that might have something to do with it," Yahaba sighed. "This is going to be one interesting conversation." 


	17. Spring Plot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember how happy everyone was that no one got hurt/killed/tortured on screen last chapter?

Suga tensed when the door opened, and scowled when he saw that the person walking into the room was Semi Eita, one of the fae who had betrayed him. Suga was considering saying something harsh to him, when Oikawa and Akaashi followed him in. That made Suga pause. 

"Lord Sugawara," Oikawa greeted him with a short bow as Akaashi closed the door. "Ushijima sent us hoping we could convince you to join him."

"I can't imagine why he would think that would work," Suga replied evenly. 

"I'm sure he's expecting us to tell you horror stories," Oikawa said with a shrug. "Like pointing out Akaashi's wings, or telling you that as much as being shocked unconscious by Shirabu hurt, being tortured by Daishou or Ushijima himself makes Shirabu's magic seem like child's play. But you already know all of that, don't you? Before you were captured, you said you knew I would be there, and Shirabu said he saw a Winter fae with Kuroo - who's supposed to be dead - in your palace." 

"Your point is...?" Suga prompted. 

"You saved Kuroo somehow, didn't you?" Oikawa guessed. "And you used his survival to get Kenma on your side. How much do you know about the plans brewing in the Winter Court?" Suga smiled calmly.

"I know enough," he answered. "And possibly more than you. For example, I know that the reason Wakatoshi didn't absorb the magic of the Summer Circlet as soon as Akaashi stole it from Bokuto is because the Circlets have to be added in order. He needed mine before he could use Bokuto's and Tendou's." There was a pause, and then Suga added, "What I don't know is how you fit into this, Semi." The former Spring fae bowed his head.

"I didn't want to betray you," he said quietly. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then lifted his head and met Suga's eyes. "Daishou and his...whatever Futakuchi is supposed to be started sneaking into the Spring gardens a few months ago. Kenjirou and I ran into them, and since Daishou is a lightning fae like us, we started talking about different techniques. He earned Kenjirou's trust by teaching him some of the more powerful ones he knew, and I followed. Eventually, we started talking about things that didn't relate to lightning magic at all. Before we knew it, we'd told Daishou things about Spring that we shouldn't have, and he used that as leverage to make us his spies. After that, the one time I tried to turn back, to get Kenjirou to come with me and admit everything to you and hope you'd understand..." Semi trailed off, eyes shut.

_"Kenjirou, we have to tell Lord Sugawara. The longer we wait, the more trouble we're going to be in," Semi insisted._

_"Eita, don't-" Shirabu tried to warn him.  
_

_"I'm serious! We don't owe Daishou anything, and we don't want to join the Winter Court," Semi snapped._

_"Eita, shut up, he's-"_

_"What's this? Treason from the reluctant little spy?" Daishou's voice washed over Semi, turning his blood to ice. "I knew you were disloyal, but I hoped you wouldn't add trying to turn Kenjirou against me to your list of mistakes." Shirabu's face was pale. He'd tried to warn him. But Semi hadn't listened. "Now, Kenjirou, you have a choice: you can punish your disloyal lover, or I can do it." Shirabu hesitated, and Daishou sighed. "All right, then." The Winter Court fae reached for his magic._

_"I'm not part of the Winter Court! You have no right to-" Electricity ripped through him, cutting off his words, but it wasn't from Daishou. Semi screamed, a sound full of pain and betrayal, and then dropped, the effects of the lightning magic not at all reduced by the fact that his own magic was the same kind. Semi stared at Shirabu, who still had sparks dancing on his fingertips and horror and guilt in his eyes._

_"Well done, Kenjirou," Daishou praised. "You'll make an excellent enforcer once Ushijima's plans come to fruition. I look forward to your weekly report tomorrow." Daishou turned to Semi. "As for you, I'll let the little shock your lover gave you be your punishment this time. But act in a way I don't like again, and you'll face much, much more pain." He was gone a moment later, leaving Semi shaking from Shirabu's magic. As soon as Daishou was out of sight, Shirabu dropped to his knees and pulled Semi into his arms.  
_

_"I'm sorry," Shirabu whispered, burying his face in Semi's hair. "I'm so sorry, Eita, please don't hate me, I couldn't let him hurt you, he would have made it so much worse, I'm sorry." Semi bit his lip, trying to focus enough to make his body move. After a moment, he managed to lift his hand and gently touch Shirabu's cheek. He knew Shirabu was right. After all, Futakuchi's broken gaze as he followed Daishou around was a living testament to just how cruel Daishou could be._

_"It's okay," Semi murmured. "It's okay, Kenjirou. We'll figure something out."_

A touch on his shoulder jerked Semi out of his memories. 

"It's okay," Akaashi murmured. Semi shuddered, but nodded. 

"I'm sorry," Suga said softly. Semi stared at him in surprise. "I should have expected this and prevented it. I should have been able to prevent all of it. I knew from the very beginning what Wakatoshi planned, but I didn't realize until it was too late just how far he would be willing to go. I should have, but I didn't. I don't blame you, Semi. Or Shirabu, for that matter." Semi's shoulders slumped in relief. 

"Lord Sugawara," Oikawa said, stepping forward. "We didn't come here to persuade you to join Ushijima, even though - as I said before - that's what he thinks we're here to do. We also didn't come here just so Semi could explain himself to you."

"Oh? Then you must have some use for me," Suga guessed. Oikawa nodded. 

"As things are now, we can't be sure how many of our allies will be able to come in time if we need help. We also can't be sure how much Ushijima trusts me. So I would appreciate it if you pretended to join Ushijima. He'll keep you close, even when he's at his most vulnerable. That way, if he keeps me away from him when he absorbs the magic in the final Circlet, you'll be there," Oikawa explained. 

"You want me to kill him," Suga realized. 

"No. I want to kill him," Oikawa replied. "I want to form the most jagged, painful ice dagger possible and carve his organs out. But, in the event that I'm not close enough to do that, you killing him would be a good alternative. After all, the person he loves using his emotions against him and killing him is a rather fitting end, considering how he's kept all of us in line," he added. Suga studied the three of them for a moment, then nodded. 

"All right. What should I tell Wakatoshi about what happened while you were in here?" he asked. 

"We don't tell him we convinced you," Oikawa answered. "We'll tell him we tried, but you have no reason to listen to us. He'll have to convince you himself."

"He knows about Sawamura," Semi added quietly. "If Ushijima didn't know his identity or whereabouts before, he will now, because he's probably getting as much information from Shirabu as he can right now. Let him use that. It's how he's gotten the rest of us to cooperate, so he won't be surprised if it works with you, too." Suga nodded. 

"Will he believe that we tried our best? Because if he doesn't, I won't be the only one with maimed wings," Akaashi pointed out. 

"He'll believe it if I'm injured," Suga replied. Oikawa and the others tensed. "Ushijima came to see me before he went to 'deal with' you, Oikawa. I'm sure he'd believe you tried your best to force me to join if there was physical evidence." 

"A combination of Ushijima's two favorite weapons - pain and threats to loved ones - would make a convincing case for you joining him," Akaashi mused. 

"Do it, then," Suga said. Oikawa hesitated. 

"I really don't like hurting people unnecessarily," he murmured.

"We know. But considering what will happen if you fail again, this is necessary," Akaashi replied. Oikawa grimaced and reached for his magic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gold star for "Not As Much On Screen Violence As I Was Originally Planning" goes to this chapter.


	18. Spring Surrender

Ushijima walked into the room where Suga waited and stopped in his tracks. Suga was sitting on the bed, one shoulder against the wall for support. Blood trailed down his face and into his eye from a cut on his forehead. A series of puncture wounds through his forearms were half-healed to keep him from bleeding out. His legs were laced with long, shallow cuts. His wingtips were blacked from electricity, and there were electrical burns on his back. 

"Wakatoshi," Suga murmured, turning his head to watch Ushijima, who closed the door behind him. 

"Oikawa said you wouldn't listen to him, but he didn't say he'd gone to this much trouble to try to make you," Ushijima said quietly, crossing the room and sitting beside Suga. 

"Are you here to finish what he started?" Suga asked, fear and pain tinting his voice. Ushijima reached out, laid his hands on Suga's shoulders, and sent a wave of soothing water magic through him, easing the pain of his wounds and healing some of the damage. Suga stared up at him, confusion pooling in his eyes. Ushijima gently wiped the blood away from his eye.

"No. I came to tell you that I know where your new lover is. Sawamura Daichi is going to have some visitors soon, and it won't be a pleasant visit. As awful as the injuries Oikawa and the others have given you are, they're nothing compared to what will happen to Sawamura," Ushijima told him. Suga tensed. 

"Leave him alone," Suga protested. "He hasn't done anything to you." 

"He had you for years," Ushijima replied. "And I don't even have you now. That's enough for me to want to hurt him." Suga flinched and looked away. 

"If...if you did have me, would you leave him alone?" Suga whispered. Ushijima tilted his head. "If I join you, will you leave him alone?" Ushijima studied him, and seemed to like what he saw in Suga's expression. 

"If you were mine again, there would be no reason for me to hurt Sawamura," Ushijima told him. Suga hesitated, then leaned forward and tilted his head up, pressing his lips to Ushijima's. 

"I'll be yours, then," Suga murmured. "I'll stay by your side, just...please don't hurt him." Ushijima smiled, and decided not to tell Suga that he'd already sent Tendou to Sawamura's home, and he'd taken enough support with him that any surprises shouldn't be too much for them to handle. 

* * *

 The home that supposedly belonged to Sawamura Daichi was empty. Daishou wondered if maybe sending Kenma and Kuroo to give the solitary fae notice of Sugawara's capture wasn't a good idea after all. But no, he reminded himself, he needed Sawamura aware of his lover's capture so he would be more desperate when it came to a fight, so Daishou's plan would work. 

"He's not here," Tendou sighed. 

"Maybe we should turn back," Iwaizumi suggested from his place beside Tendou. "Surely Ushijima has more important things for us to do."

"No. I can find them," Daishou said. "If Shirabu's report from Sugawara's capture is true, then Kenma and Kuroo are hiding somewhere. If they know Sugawara was captured, they might have come to join up with Sawamura." Shirabu, who had been hanging toward the back of the group, blinked. Iwaizumi frowned. 

"How does that help us find them?" Tendou snapped. 

"I've tortured Kenma before," Daishou replied simply. "I know the feeling of his magic, and so does my Kenji. We'll find them." Daishou found himself glad that he had left a spark of his magic, too small for anyone else to notice, in Kuroo when he'd told Kenma to find Sawamura, and closed his eyes, reaching out for that spark. "This way."

* * *

Kuroo twitched and rubbed at the top of his head, frowning. Kenma glanced at him worriedly, but Kuroo just shook his head. He was fine. It just felt like there was a little static buildup in his hair, and he's received the slightest shock. Strange, but not painful. 

A moment later, it happened again, with a little more force. Kuroo jumped and frowned. 

"Kuroo? Are you all right?" Kenma asked, frowning. 

"Fine. I think my hair just has some built-up static," he explained. "I keep shocking myself." Yahaba and Kenma paled. 

"Shit. Daishou touched you," Kenma hissed. "Come here, quick." Kuroo blinked, and when he didn't react immediately, Kenma reached up and yanked Kuroo's head down so he could scowl at his hair. "Yahaba?"

"I see it," Yahaba replied. "If it's this strong, he's probably close," he added grimly. "There's not much I can do besides get it out of Kuroo's hair. It won't stop them from finding us." 

"Just do it, before he knocks Kuroo out," Kenma hissed. Yahaba nodded and used a blade of air to cut the hair filled with a growing amount of lightning magic away from Kuroo's head. 

"Did you just cut my hair?" Kuroo yelped.

"We're about to be attacked by Daishou, and you're worried about your hair?" Yahaba snapped, bundling the clump of hair out the window. 

"We're  _what?"_ Kageyama hissed. 

"Calm down. They're not here yet, we can leave now," Sawamura suggested. 

"You led them right to me! They're going to know I'm alive and hurt Shouyou," Kageyama snarled. 

"Which is why we should leave now," Sawamura replied. 

"Too late," Watari called from the window. Yahaba yanked his friend to the side just before a burst of flame shattered the window and swept over the room. Kageyama threw his hands up, and a wave of water wiped out the fire before it could reach anyone. 

"I saw Tendou and Iwaizumi out there," Yahaba warned. 

"And Daishou has to be there, which means Futakuchi," Kenma added.

"And probably Shirabu," Yahaba finished. "We need to scatter. If we stay close, Daishou and Shirabu and Tendou can use lightning magic and take us all out at once." 

"Rendezvous?" Kenma asked. 

"There's a few solitary fae to the north that I know," Kageyama suggested. "They don't like me much, but they should be willing to help."

"Scatter and head north, then. Let's go," Sawamura said. Yahaba grabbed Watari's hand and towed him toward the back door. Kenma, Kuroo, and Bokuto headed for the window on the far side of the house, which was large enough for them to fit through one at a time. Daichi and Kageyama hesitated, then followed Yahaba and Watari out the back door when the front one suddenly burst into flames. 

Outside, now hovering above the house, Tendou glanced at Daishou. 

"You failed to kill him once. Kuroo's yours," Daishou replied. "I'll handle the ones that went out the back." Tendou nodded his agreement. 

"Iwaizumi, I'm ordering you to fight to kill. Don't hold back. Do everything you can to kill Kuroo and the others with him," Tendou ordered.

"Fine," Iwaizumi growled. Then he dove, angling for the fae at the front of the group, who he recognized as Bokuto and really hoped Tendou hadn't recognized yet. Because if nothing else, he couldn't let Tendou find out that Akaashi had lied about Bokuto's death. Even if it meant wholeheartedly obeying Tendou's order to kill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of short, because next chapter will be the battle.


	19. Solitary End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your warning for this chapter:   
> FIVE  
> That is all.

Iwaizumi slammed into Bokuto and drove him face-down into the ground. Bokuto shouted in surprise, and Iwaizumi leaned down to hiss in his ear.

"As soon as you get a chance, you fly away and don't come back," Iwaizumi ordered. Bokuto tensed, and flames sparked around them. "If Tendou recognizes you, Akaashi is as good as dead," Iwaizumi snapped. Bokuto's flames vanished. "Now stay down until you have a chance to get away." A shout behind him made Iwaizumi turn. He just barely had time to see Kenma hurl a rock with a destruction spell at Tendou before Bokuto surged forward, throwing Iwaizumi off balance. Iwaizumi hit the ground, and Bokuto took off, flying as fast as he could. 

"Forget him," Tendou shouted. Iwaizumi saw the destruction spell's explosion, felt the wave of heat and pressure, and was blown backwards, but Tendou already had a wall of earth up around himself to block the worst of it. The wall of earth twisted and tumbled down over Tendou's head. As though he'd known that would happen, Tendou threw himself to the side, electricity sparking around him. Iwaizumi shot forward, flames swirling, and tackled Kenma, grabbing for the pouch of stones at his waist. Tendou shot a bolt of lightning anyway, and electricity arched through Iwaizumi as well as Kuroo and Kenma. 

Screams rose from all three of them, following Bokuto as he fled north.

* * *

 

Yahaba felt the back of his neck prickle and shoved Watari to the side, away from the incoming lightning magic, which hit Yahaba squarely in the back. He screamed and fell forward, barely managing to whip air magic around himself and then shoot it in the direction the lightning magic had come from. There was a yelp, and when Yahaba rolled over to take inventory of their pursuers, he saw a fae who had to be Shirabu hitting the ground. Daishou dove toward Sawamura, who brought up a wall of earth to intercept the Winter fae's attack. 

Yahaba shouted a warning, because he knew Daishou didn't need physical contact or even a direct line of sight, but his cry was drowned out by the bloodcurdling scream that erupted from Sawamura's throat as lightning magic tore his body apart from the inside. His wings started smoking, and his body went rigid, fingers twitching. 

Kageyama snarled and dodged a ripple of earth meant to unbalance him, then jumped into the air, ice crystals swirling around him. Yahaba's eyes widened. He'd seen Kageyama spar before he'd escaped the Winter Court, and Yahaba recognized that pattern. It was a wide-range attack, one that devastated any fae below him, enemy and ally alike.

"Get above him!" Yahaba shouted. "Watari, get above Kageyama!" He tried to get to his feet, but the aftereffects of the lightning magic he'd been hit with slowed him and made his limbs refuse to cooperate. Kageyama's ice crystals coalesced into a storm of icicles. Watari, who had started to fly at Yahaba's urging, saw that Yahaba was still on the ground and dove toward him. "Kageyama, don't!" Yahaba cried. 

"I'm going to take them down," Kageyama replied. "I'm not letting them get back to tell Ushijima I'm alive!" 

Watari reached out, and Yahaba reached for his magic instead of Watari's hand, because if he could push Watari into the air high enough, everything would be okay. Daishou took notice and ordered Futakuchi into the air. 

The icicles rained down, streaks of blue-white death pelting their surroundings. 

Daishou shouted in pain as one pierced his leg and another went through his wing, and he fell. Shirabu, still on the ground, screamed as icicles plunged through his shoulder, thigh, and stomach. Daichi, unmoving where he'd fallen after Daishou's lightning magic tore through him, didn't even jerk as icicles embedded themselves in his torso. Watari, between Yahaba and Kageyama, jerked and finished closing the distance between himself and Yahaba with a gurgling cry. 

 _"Watari!"_ Yahaba cried as his friend collapsed on top of him and coughed blood onto his shirt. "Watari, no!" Something cold pressed against Yahaba's chest, and when he looked at Watari's shuddering, choking form, he knew with horrible certainty that it was the tip of an icicle he felt, because there was one that had gone through Watari's back far enough that it protruded a little from his chest. Watari let out one last shaky, blood-flecked breath, then went still. "Watari, please wake up. Watari!" He shook his friend's shoulder, but Watari didn't respond. A sob rose in Yahaba's throat. "Watari..."

"Suguru!" Futakuchi dropped from the sky and landed beside Daishou, who was grimacing at his leg at wing wounds. 

"Kill him," Daishou hissed. Futakuchi hesitated. 

"But you're hurt," he protested. "We need to retreat."

"Kill him first," Daishou snapped. "Now, Kenji." Futakuchi bowed his head, then turned toward Kageyama, who was preparing another storm of icicles. Futakuchi crouched, earth magic swirling around his legs, hands, and wings, then shot forward and up, his earth magic talent of strengthening his own body making him a living projectile as he streaked toward Kageyama, who shifted his magic to form a shield of ice. Futakuchi twisted, brought his foot up as he reached the ice shield, and shattered it with a single kick. Kageyama shouted and tried to fly away, but Futakuchi was faster, seizing Kageyama's ankle and tightening his grip, crushing the joint. Kageyama screamed and tried to shoot shards of ice at Futakuchi, but the earth fae just yanked Kageyama toward him by his injured ankle, twisted him, then stiffened his own fingers with more strengthening earth magic, before driving his hand through Kageyama's chest. Kageyama's cry was cut off as his body went limp. Futakuchi dropped him, and he fell lifelessly to the ground. Futakuchi turned and flew back to Daishou. Yahaba, still with Watari's limp body on top of him, glanced around. 

Sawamura hadn't moved since Daishou's magic hit him. Kageyama was undoubtedly dead. Watari, too, as much as Yahaba wanted to believe his friend could survive being impaled. 

"Yahaba is still alive," Futakuchi murmured. Daishou glanced over, and Yahaba tensed, his air magic surging. 

"Leave him. What about Kenjirou?" Daishou asked. Futakuchi glanced over at Shirabu, whose pained cries had faded rather quickly after Kageyama's attack. 

"If he's still alive, he won't make it back to the Winter Palace," Futakuchi answered quietly. 

"Leave him, too, then," Daishou decided. "Let's go." Futakuchi helped Daishou to his feet as Yahaba watched, then supported him as they took to the air together. 

They were getting away. 

Yahaba slid out from beneath Watari, his limbs still struggling to obey him as he started after his enemies. Yahaba forced himself into the air, following them as they flew in the direction Kuroo, Kenma and Bokuto had gone. 

* * *

 

Iwaizumi fell to the side, away from Kenma and Kuroo, and groaned. Tendou stalked toward the two fugitives, lightning and flames sparking around him. 

"I thought ripping your wings off would be enough to finish you," Tendou said as he crouched beside Kuroo. "But apparently you're just too annoying to die." Kenma reached for his pouch of stones, and Iwaizumi tensed. Tendou turned and flicked his wrist. Kenma yelped as ice shards cut into his arm, knocking his hand away from the stones that held his spells. 

Then flames poured down from above. Tendou leaped sideways to avoid the fire, only for a second plume of fire to erupt in his face as he moved. Tendou screamed as the flames flared in his eyes. He fell back, clawing at his face as the flames continued to burn. Water magic flared around him, putting out the flames, and he stumbled, panting. A hand on his back steadied him.

"You couldn't even kill a wingless fae and one of Oikawa's followers," a familiar voice sighed. Then pain ripped through him, crackling and singeing and pulling a new scream from him. Then Tendou fell, silent and lifeless, to the ground. Daishou, still bleeding from his leg wound, still with a hole in his wing and leaning on Futakuchi for support, leaned over and snatched Tendou's circlet from his head. "I'll be taking this. Come along, Iwaizumi. We're done here." 

Yahaba landed heavily beside Bokuto, who had positioned himself protectively between Kuroo and Kenma.

"What are you doing?" Iwaizumi demanded, getting to his feet. "I thought you were-"

"I have no loyalty to Tendou. And neither do you," Daishou replied smoothly. "Come, now. You want to get back to your precious Tooru, don't you? We need to get back to the Winter Palace and tell Ushijima that Tendou killed Sawamura, and Sawamura had some solitary allies that gave us enough trouble that Tendou and Shirabu died, and we barely managed to get away." For a moment, everyone was silent. 

"You're not going to mention Kuroo or Bokuto?" Yahaba asked. Daishou shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not. For now, it benefits me not to," he replied. "Iwaizumi, come along." Iwaizumi hesitated. "Unless you want Tooru to think you're dead. Can you imagine the hopelessness he'd feel?" he added, turning the circlet over in his hands. Iwaizumi scowled. 

"Fine. Let's go," he growled. Daishou smirked and returned to the air with Futakuchi still supporting him. Iwaizumi followed them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death count this chapter:  
> 1\. Daichi  
> 2\. Shirabu  
> 3\. Watari  
> 4\. Kageyama  
> 5\. Tendou


	20. Winter Bargain

Oikawa was waiting outside the room where Suga was being kept. Ushijima had been in there for a while, but the room didn't let any sound out, so Oikawa had no way of knowing if their plan had worked or not until the door opened.

"Oikawa!" He turned and found Semi flying down the hall toward him, pale and shaken. Oh, no, this couldn't be good. "Oikawa, Daishou's gone," Semi hissed as he landed in front of the water fae. "He's gone, and he took Shirabu with him. They went on some big secret mission for Ushijima while we were talking to Suga." Oikawa grimaced. That was bad, mostly because he had no idea what Daishou could be up to, but Daishou - who undoubtedly had Futakuchi with him - by himself couldn't cause too much damage, even with Shirabu with him, right? "Tendou and Iwaizumi went with them, too," Semi added, terror tainting his voice. 

"Shit," Oikawa hissed, his blood turning to ice. Anything that required that much strength was way, way worse than anything Daishou might get up to with just Futakuchi and Shirabu. "Did Shirabu leave a note saying what their orders were?"

"No! It must've been a last minute thing, or Daishou was watching him too closely," Semi replied. "I don't know what's going on, but Akaashi said there's no sign of it being anything you've planned for." 

"Semi! Oikawa!" Akaashi strode toward them, expression dark. "Daishou is back, and it's not good." Semi went rigid, wings twitching anxiously as he searched Akaashi's expression for any sign of what had happened. Akaashi hesitated, sympathy and sorrow in his eyes. A shudder washed over Semi. 

"Did something happen to Kenjirou?" he whispered. Akaashi didn't answer. "Akaashi, where are they?" 

"The side gates, by Daishou's rooms," Akaashi said reluctantly. Semi bolted down the hall - or started to. Akaashi caught his wrist. "Semi, wait."

"If you're acting like this, something must have happened to him," Semi hissed, wrenching free of Akaashi's grip. "I'm not standing around and planning if he's hurt." Semi was gone before Akaashi could say anything else. Oikawa stared after him for a moment, then turned to Akaashi. 

"Daishou saw me at the gates. I was waiting for them to come back. He had three sets of wings with him," Akaashi said, his words soft and sad. Oikawa closed his eyes. He hated the expression Akaashi made when he was hiding his fear and grief, hated the haunted sound of his words when he was forcing his voice to be steady. "One, I didn't recognize. One was Shirabu's." Oikawa squeezed his eyes shut tighter and clenched his fists. Shirabu wasn't supposed to die. He wasn't. He was supposed to stay in Daishou's shadow until Oikawa could defeat Ushijima and rid the Winter Court of both Ushijima and Daishou's influences. "Oikawa...the third was Kageyama's." 

Oikawa's whole body went numb. 

Kageyama. 

The one person Oikawa had managed to smuggle out of the Winter Court alive. 

The one they'd sent Yahaba and Watari to. The one they'd sent Bokuto to. The one Kenma and Kuroo would have sought out. 

"He's dead?" Oikawa whispered. 

"From the amount of blood on the wings? Very," Akaashi replied grimly, his voice still soft, that haunted calm that meant he was going to break down soon. Oikawa opened his mouth, not that he knew what he was going to say, but before he could figure it out, the door to Suga's room opened, and Ushijima walked out, Suga at his side. Suga met Oikawa's gaze and nodded. The plan had worked. Oikawa just stared back, stricken. He didn't know what to say or do. 

"Oikawa, Akaashi, you look like you have some troubling news," Ushijima said, frowning at them. "What has happened?"

"Daishou has returned," Akaashi answered, his voice still scarily soft. Ushijima blinked. 

"I see. Did he send you to tell me his mission was a success?" he asked. Akaashi looked away.

"We don't know what orders Daishou had, so we don't know if he succeeded or not," Oikawa answered, finally finding his voice. He couldn't let his frustration, his fear, his grief overwhelm him. Not now. Not yet. Later. Later, he and Akaashi could comfort Semi and possibly Suga, if Ushijima allowed them to. Later, Oikawa could blame himself for not hiding Kageyama better, or for sending Yahaba and Watari to him, especially if their presence was the reason for Kageyama's death. Later, he could break down. 

Now, though...

"He was supposed to accompany Tendou to visit someone for me," Ushijima said.

"Lord Ushijima," Daishou's voice announced. Oikawa froze, a new horror presenting itself along with the lightning fae's presence. Daishou had Kageyama's wings. Daishou had proof that Kageyama hadn't died with Konoha. Daishou had enough proof to accuse Oikawa of betraying Ushijima. All eyes were fixed on Daishou and what he held in his hands. Oikawa found himself relaxing; he wasn't holding Kageyama's severed wings. He wasn't holding any wings at all. 

Tendou's Autumn Circlet rested on Daishou's palms as he held it up, offering it to Ushijima, who stared at him for a moment. 

"You were supposed to bring me back one very specific person," Ushijima said quietly. 

"We were ambushed," Daishou replied quietly. Oikawa noticed there was a hole in one of his wings and a bandage wrapped around one of his legs. "Our target refused to be taken alive. Tendou and Shirabu didn't make it out. Neither did our target." 

For a moment, there was silence. Then Futakuchi stepped into view, a set of copper and orange wings, shimmering and stained with dried blood, held delicately in his hands.

Another beat of silence.

Then there was a thump. Oikawa glanced in the direction of the sound and saw Sugawara had fallen to the ground. The Spring fae stared at the wings in Futakuchi's hands, and a small, broken whine left his throat. Oikawa flinched at the noise, and Akaashi looked away. Ushijima's expression darkened as the sound coming from Sugawara grew louder and rougher, until it was a heart-shattering wail. 

"I told you to bring him back alive," Ushijima said, talking over the rise and fall of Suga's cries. Daishou bowed his head. 

"I tried. But by the time Iwaizumi and I drove off the solitary fae who ambushed us, Tendou, who bore the brunt of the attack, and Sawamura, who was caught in the crossfire, were dead. Shirabu fell, too. We retrieved Tendou's circlet and Sawamura's and Shirabu's wings, and then came back here," Daishou reported. "We failed." There was a long moment of silence. 

"You'll be punished severely for this," Ushijima growled. "I needed him  _alive_ , you-"

Whatever else Ushijima might have said, whatever punishment he had in mind, was cut off by Suga's sudden  _shriek_ as he surged forward, a whirlwind forming around him as he crossed the space between him and Daishou in an instant. Daishou shouted in surprise, and sparks leaped as he summoned his magic, but blades of air sliced into him from all sides. Futakuchi dropped the wings he was holding and leaped to defend Daishou, only to be thrown backwards by the force of the whirlwind around Suga and Daishou. 

Suga tore into Daishou with his air magic, inhuman cries of fury and grief tearing from his throat. 

The whirlwind expanded, filling the hallway with sharp blades of air that lashed at not just Daishou, but Futakuchi, Oikawa, Akaashi, and even Ushijima as well. Ushijima clenched his jaw as Suga's air magic left a deep cut on his cheek, and he lifted his hand, gathering his magic. 

Ice appeared, encasing Suga instantly, bringing his air magic to a halt. 

Ushijima frowned; he had been reaching for lightning magic, intending to knock Suga out quickly. Daishou stumbled backwards, blood pouring from a multitude of cuts. Futakuchi darted forward to support him carefully. For a moment, everyone was quiet. Then Oikawa walked forward. When he reached the frozen Spring fae, he gently tapped his frosted forehead, and the ice vanished. Suga collapsed, body shivering uncontrollably and breath coming in pants. Oikawa caught him before he fell and sent a wave of warmer, healing water magic through him. Suga slumped as the relief of not being frozen anymore, coupled with his sudden exhaustion from all of the air magic he'd been wielding and his surge of emotions sent him into unconsciousness. Oikawa shifted his hold on Suga and scooped him up, cradling him against his chest, then turned and met Ushijima's surprised gaze. 

"He was going to hurt you and himself," Oikawa explained. Ushijima's gaze dropped to Oikawa's arms around Suga's limp form. "Where do you want me to put him?" 

"Give him here," Ushijima ordered. Oikawa obeyed, carrying Suga to the Winter Lord and depositing the unconscious fae in Ushijima's arms. For a moment, Ushijima focused on settling Suga more comfortably in his hold. Then he frowned at Oikawa. "You aren't usually so quick to defend Daishou, especially against someone whose emotions I expected you to sympathize with." 

"Tendou is dead," Oikawa replied, the plan that had been nothing but an instinctive recognition of an opportunity solidifying in his mind as he spoke. "The power structure is going to be rearranged. I wouldn't mind if _dear_ little Suguru died, but I do have a use for him before everything settles again." Ushijima raised an eyebrow, and Daishou let out a hiss of indignation, while Futakuchi just glared. "He won his Kenji by being loyal to you and then breaking him. You have your ex lover, and I just kept you from being the one to stop him from killing the person he obviously blames for Sawamura's death. When he wakes up, you can be the tender, caring lover Suguru was after Aone's death, and if that fails, you can take Suguru's backup route and break Sugawara down until he's your loyal companion. But if you'd been the one to bring him down, he would only see you as having taken Suguru's side." 

"Get to the point, Oikawa," Ushijima ordered. Oikawa bowed briefly.

"Of course. The point is, you have your old lover back. Suguru's had his for years. I want something I once had for myself, too, and it seems the only way to get it back is by taking your methods to heart," Oikawa said. He met Ushijima's gaze steadily, willing himself to be calm and collected and seem utterly determined but also not overly emotionally invested. "Give me Iwaizumi, and I'll make sure Tendou's death doesn't mean we lose the chance to use his second, too." 

"Your feelings for your old lover are-"

"Forgive me, but my feelings for Iwaizumi, whether they exist or not, are not the issue here. My loyalty to you is stronger. But Daishou used me as his demonstration of consequences for Iwaizumi because whatever you think I still feel for him, Iwaizumi still cares for me. I can use that and bring him to heel faster and more permanently than Tendou ever could have," Oikawa told him confidently. 

"You're just trying to get your precious fire shooter back," Daishou snapped. 

"And I suppose your attachment to Futakuchi is purely that of an enforcer and his trophy," Oikawa replied. "I notice that you came back with wounds from your battle, but your precious Kenji is unharmed. Did you endanger yourself and your mission to protect him?" 

"How dare you-"

"Oikawa has a point. Very well," Ushijima decided. "Oikawa, you may have Iwaizumi. But the first time you show any sign of disobeying me in favor of protecting him, I will kill him. That goes for you, too, Daishou." Daishou tensed, but Ushijima returned his attention to Sugawara. "Daishou, get your wounds seen to. Oikawa, you can go get Iwaizumi. I expect my second and third in command to be ready when I call, however. I will absorb the power of the Spring Circlet tonight." With that, Ushijima turned and carried Suga away, toward Ushijima's rooms. As soon as he was out of sight, Daishou pinned Oikawa and Akaashi in place with a smirk. 

"Before you go reunite with dear Hajime, who screams so nicely, you should know that I have Kageyama's wings, and I know Bokuto, Kuroo, and Yahaba are alive, despite your supposed attempts to the contrary," Daishou announced. "Try to use Kenji against me again, or do anything against me, and I'll make sure Ushijima knows, too." 


	21. Solitary Meeting

Oikawa found Iwaizumi near the side gates, where he was watching over Semi, who was crumpled in a heap over Shirabu's wings. Oikawa couldn't see Semi's face, but he saw the shaking of his shoulders and knew he was still crying. 

"He screamed and wailed himself hoarse," Iwaizumi murmured, looking a little lost. "I tried to comfort him, but...I didn't see what happened to Shirabu. And I don't know how to make any of this better." Oikawa sighed. 

"He needs as much time as we can give him," Oikawa said. "I was supposed to protect him, damn it. I promised Semi that I would save Shirabu, and now..."

"It's not your fault," Iwaizumi said quietly. "When Daishou insisted we collect wings...it was bad. Oikawa, one of the fae who died was Watari. I don't know what he was doing there, but he was dead. Impaled on an icicle, just like Shirabu. I don't know who killed them, but...it was horrible." Iwaizumi shuddered. "Watari looked like he'd been impaled from the back. Shirabu was a mess."

"None of this was in our plans," Akaashi spoke up. "I don't know what Ushijima was thinking, sending such a large group to bring Sawamura back, especially if he really did want him alive."

"I don't know either, but I think I've gotten enough trust back from what just happened with Sugawara that I'll be in position when our chance comes," Oikawa replied. Iwaizumi tensed. 

"What happened with Sugawara?" he demanded. 

"He found out about Sawamura and tried to kill Daishou," Oikawa replied. 

"Oikawa stopped him, and managed to get you as a reward," Akaashi added. Iwaizumi frowned. 

"What?" Akaashi just shook his head and went over to Semi, crouching beside him and rubbing his back soothingly. Iwaizumi turned to Oikawa. 

"What was he talking about?" Iwaizumi asked. 

"You know Ushijima only let you live because Tendou was sure he could keep you in line," Oikawa began, staring at the ground to avoid Iwaizumi's piercing stare. "Well, with Tendou dead, he was going to realize sooner or later that there's nothing keeping you from going against him. So after I kept Sugawara from killing Daishou, I had an opening. I asked Ushijima for a reward, since I'd proved my loyalty and shit. He agreed."

"And how am I your reward?" Iwaizumi growled. Oikawa flinched. 

"I convinced Ushijima that I'm planning to break you the same way Daishou broke down Futakuchi," he admitted. Iwaizumi was silent. "I would never hurt you, but I was afraid Ushijima would have you killed if he didn't think someone was going to be able to keep you from acting out. So I convinced him I could." 

"What do I need to do?" Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa blinked. He hadn't expected Iwaizumi to drop the irritation and go along with it so quickly. 

"Just...stay close to me, and don't make Daishou or Ushijima mad," Oikawa replied. 

"Do I need to act all empty like Futakuchi?" Iwaizumi asked. Oikawa shook his head grimly.

"Futakuchi is that way because even though he gave up on trying to get away pretty quickly and settled in as Daishou's prize within a month, Daishou...uses him however he wants. When he's in a bad mood, it's Futakuchi who gets hurt if Daishou doesn't have anyone he's assigned to punish. And the rare times Daishou has felt remorse, it's Futakuchi who has to comfort him. Daishou used to really love Futakuchi, but the other enforcers - especially his former mentor, Ringu, who was actually executed last year for being too ambitious - twisted him. And I think that's what really makes Futakuchi so empty. He's tried for so long to do what Daishou wants, and he still gets hurt, still has to comfort his captor. Anyone would break," Oikawa explained. Iwaizumi was staring at him, horror written across his face. Oikawa winced and looked away. "The point is, no one is going to expect an immediate change. You just have to keep quiet and not get in trouble."

"Hey, Oikawa," Akaashi called before Iwaizumi could respond. "Do we have a plan for handling Daishou?" Oikawa grimaced. 

"Well, I just saved his life and then used Futakuchi against him, so we're kind of neutral with him right now," Oikawa replied. "Why?"

"Because Daishou still has Kageyama's wings somewhere. We need to find them and get rid of them," Akaashi reminded him. "Daishou knows too much, and with those wings as evidence..."

"You're right. Ushijima is absorbing the magic of the Spring Circlet tonight. Daishou and I are both supposed to be there. You'll have some time to look then," Oikawa said. Akaashi nodded. 

"I'll do what I can," he promised. 

* * *

 

Yahaba stumbled blindly into Bokuto's back. The four of them had been walking, putting distance between themselves and the aftermath of the battle. Kenma had suggested they stop so Yahaba could say goodbye to Watari, but Yahaba had refused. 

He couldn't let himself break down. He had to keep going. Because as soon as he stopped, he wouldn't be able to get up again. 

"Easy, there," Bokuto said quietly, turning to steady Yahaba. Bokuto had been just as subdued as everyone else since they watched Daishou, Futakuchi, and Iwaizumi fly away. "We're here." Yahaba blinked and started to ask where exactly 'here' was, but stopped. He saw the tension in Kenma's shoulders and decided to stay silent as the smaller fae knocked on the door of the house they'd approached while Yahaba was busy trying to force his emotions down.

The door opened, and Yahaba got a glimpse of a curious frown, blond hair, and bright golden wings. 

"Hey, it's the little spy," the stranger greeted Kenma cheerfully. Kenma waved silently, and the stranger grinned. Then his gaze shifted to Kuroo. "You've looked better, Kuroo." Kuroo grimaced, his back muscles tensing reflexively. If he'd still had his wings, they would have been twitching in discomfort and irritation. Then the stranger saw Bokuto. There was a moment of silence. Then the stranger said, "You asshole. You could've at least kept him from getting the circlet," and then punched Bokuto in the face, sending him flying backwards past Yahaba, who ducked out of the way. 

Bokuto hit the ground. Yahaba tensed, and time seemed to slow down. He'd lost Watari. Sugawara's lover had died, too. Akaashi was  _not_ going to lose Bokuto today, not if Yahaba had anything to say about it. 

So he threw himself at the stranger, who yelped and went down far easier than Yahaba expected. He didn't let his guard down. The stranger landed on his back, with Yahaba on top of him, pinning his hands over his head and settling a knee on his diaphragm, prepared to press as much weight down on him as necessary to keep him pinned. 

"Holy shit," the stranger breathed, staring up at Yahaba, who scowled down at him. 

"Yahaba, he's not going to hurt anyone," Kenma said quietly. Yahaba's wings twitched, showing that he'd heard Kenma, but other than that, he stayed entirely focused on the unknown fae pinned beneath him. 

"He punched Bokuto," Yahaba snapped. "Enough people have gotten hurt today. I don't need anyone else losing their reason for putting up with the Winter Court." 

"Yahaba, huh?" The person he was pinning to the floor grinned, not seeming upset at all to be in the position he found himself in. "Nice to meet you. I'm Terushima Yuuji, and I only punched Bokuto over there because he's the reason I'm solitary, and he couldn't even hold onto the Summer Circlet."

"Terushima...you're the one Bokuto defeated to become Summer Lord," Yahaba realized, blinking at him. "You went down easier than I expected."

"You kind of scared me with how fast you moved just now," Kuroo commented. Terushima nodded in agreement. 

"Oikawa is faster," Yahaba and Kenma said together. Kuroo and Terushima shuddered. Bokuto let out what might have been an intimidated whimper. 

"Really, though, Yahaba, he's on our side," Kenma said. "He doesn't know much - for his own safety - but he's one of my solitary contacts." 

"Bokuto kicking me out of the Summer Court kind of knocked some sense into me. I finally took everything he'd been saying about something being wrong in Winter because his old lover wasn't coming to visit him seriously, and when the little spy showed up, looking for information, I offered to help," Terushima explained. "Which brings us to the question: why are a couple of Winter fae and a pair of apparently deposed lords knocking on my door?"

"Perhaps Yahaba should let you up, and we can talk about that inside," Kenma replied. 

"You guys can come on in. Yahaba's welcome to stay right where he is," Terushima added with a wink. Yahaba stared at him for a long moment. 

"My best friend just died, and so did two other people's lovers," Yahaba said flatly. "Daishou knows Kuroo and Bokuto and I are alive when we're not supposed to be, and he knows Kageyama was alive until he just had his broken attack dog kill him today. The only way this situation could possibly be worse would be for Ushijima himself to appear right now with all four circlets to torture us or kill us or both as punishment for not being dead. So do you think maybe you could wait to flirt until we get rid of the sadistic dictator trying to take over all of the Courts?" Terushima blinked up at him, and Yahaba stood, not worrying about how much pressure this put on Terushima's stomach. The former Summer Lord wheezed, and sat up as Yahaba turned away. 

"Little spy?" Terushima said faintly. Kenma tilted his head. 

"Yes?"

"Tell me his given name and I will march right up to the gates of the Winter Palace and kill Ushijima myself."

* * *

 

Suga woke surrounded by warmth and comfort, the reassuring sound of a steady heartbeat beneath his head telling him that he was laying on someone's chest. He let himself float in his awareness for a moment, trying not to think, not to  _remember._

"Koushi," Ushijima's voice murmured. "I know you're awake. How are you feeling?" Suga bit his lip against a whimper as the memories he'd been pushing away came rushing back. Daichi was dead. He was dead, and Daishou had killed him despite having orders to bring him back alive. 

Daichi was dead, and Daishou was responsible. Anger burned in his chest, only to be dampened by the overwhelming grief. 

Daichi was  _dead_. He was never coming back. He was dead, and his wings had been torn off and brought back like a morbid trophy. 

"Koushi, I'm going to take on the Spring Circlet soon," Ushijima said. Sugawara barely heard him, his shoulders shaking as he fought back tears. "Once I have its power, I'm going to punish Daishou for not doing as he was told. If you want, you can decide what his punishment will be."

Suga definitely heard that. 

His grief swelled, but this time it flared the anger in him. 

He could make Daishou pay for taking Daichi away from him. 

"Would you like that, Koushi?" Ushijima asked, one hand moving in almost comforting circles on his back. 

Suga nodded. 


	22. Winter Reversal

Ushijima stood in a swirling vortex of magic, the Spring and Winter Circlets twisting together into one as he lowered them both onto his head. The magic flared, forcing the guards around him - Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Daishou, and Futakuchi - to stumble away from him to avoid being blown off their feet. 

The magic settled, and for an instant, Ushijima was still, the magic around him shining but not swirling violently. 

That was the moment that would lengthen with each Circlet added, Oikawa realized. That was the moment that, when Ushijima donned the fourth Circlet, Oikawa would strike. 

For now, he glanced at Iwaizumi, who was frowning thoughtfully. He must have recognized that moment, too, Oikawa thought. The magic faded, and Ushijima turned to Daishou. 

"Come with me. And bring your pet," Ushijima ordered. Daishou tensed, and Futakuchi shifted closer to him. 

"Do you have a task for me?" Daishou asked. Ushijima let out a humorless laugh. 

"I told you I would punish you for disobeying orders. And since Sawamura was the one you killed, I told Koushi he could decide your punishment," he said. Oikawa blinked. He hadn't expected that. Hadn't expected Ushijima to punish Daishou after he was attacked by Sugawara - which, really, he should have, Oikawa thought with a grimace - and he hadn't expected for the punishment to be decided by the former Spring Lord. Had Sugawara agreed to that? What was he planning for Daishou's punishment? 

"I see," Daishou murmured. "May I leave Kenji in my room?" Ushijima frowned. 

"No. I already told you to bring him. Someone will have to haul you back to your room after Koushi decides you've had enough," Ushijima replied. Daishou tensed and opened his mouth to assure Ushijima that he hadn't meant any disrespect, but his body jerked, and a scream came out instead. Oikawa froze. He'd never actually heard Daishou scream. Come to think of it, he'd never seen Daishou punished in front of people before, since Ushijima publicly reducing an enforcer to a whimpering heap of agony would only damage the reputation the enforcers had to maintain. Futakuchi flinched away from Daishou and shot a terrified glance at Ushijima. "You've been around Oikawa too much lately, Daishou. You seem to have picked up some bad habits," Ushijima observed when Daishou's scream faded. The lightning fae grimaced and started to speak. Oikawa could have told him that was a mistake, but Daishou found out for himself pretty quickly, because Ushijima sent another wave of magic-induced pain through him. Daishou screamed again and fell, his legs no longer strong enough to support him as agony raced through his body. The pain vanished as suddenly as it had started, and Daishou was left on his knees, panting and glaring at the floor. "Come along. I want to see what Koushi has in mind for you," Ushijima said. Daishou's shoulders tensed, and he forced himself to his feet, roughly shaking off Futakuchi when the earth fae tried to help him up. Futakuchi glanced between Daishou and Ushijima nervously, afraid that either one of them would turn on him. 

"Is Sugawara waiting for you?" Oikawa asked, keeping his tone even and respectful. Ushijima nodded. 

"He is," he replied, turning to leave, obviously expecting Daishou and Futakuchi to just follow. They did, but not before Daishou shot Oikawa a look of loathing mixed with something that might have been reluctant gratitude for Oikawa having successfully sidetracked Ushijima. Even if Daishou was headed to more punishment, he was more likely to get mercy from Sugawara than Ushijima. 

Except, of course, for the fact that Daishou had killed Suga's lover. Maybe he wouldn't be getting any mercy, after all.

* * *

 

Suga was waiting in the viewing room when Ushijima led Daishou and Futakuchi in. Futakuchi was more wide-eyed and fearful than his usual empty expression, and Suga frowned. 

"Koushi, did you decide?" Ushijima asked, crossing the room and pulling Suga into a hug. Suga went willingly enough, returning the embrace before pulling back and nodding. 

"Whatever punishment is typical for disobeying orders is fine, with one addition," Suga said, his voice low and grim. "He didn't just disobey orders and kill Daichi. He cut off Daichi's wings. So I want to return the favor." Ushijima blinked. Daishou froze, and Futakuchi flinched. 

"If you cut off his wings, he'll die. I need him alive," Ushijima reminded him. Suga nodded, and Daishou relaxed. 

"I know. I won't take all of them off. Just enough that he can't fly," he replied. "He'll survive, but I'm taking flight away from him forever." Horror washed over Daishou, and he took an almost involuntary step away from the Spring fae. 

"You can't-" Daishou started to protest. But then he remembered Akaashi's burned wings, and he knew that Ushijima not only could absolutely keep him from ever flying again, but he would do it in a heartbeat, too. 

"How much do you want taken off?" Ushijima asked, moving toward Daishou. Suga caught his arm and shook his head. 

"I want to do it myself," he said quietly. Ushijima blinked, then leaned down and kissed the top of Suga's head. 

"All right. Would you like me to keep him from trying to get away?" Ushijima suggested. When Suga nodded, he turned to Daishou. Before the lightning fae had a chance to process what was about to happen, the air around him shifted, pushing him toward Suga. Daishou stumbled and instinctively reached for his own magic, only to find that for the first time, Ushijima had used the viewing room's spells to keep Daishou from using any magic. Daishou braced himself, but it didn't do any good when electricity ripped through his body, making him arch and scream. Futakuchi, who stayed where he was, eyes wide with fear, flinched at the sound. Daishou fell to the ground, and Ushijima caught him and roughly pushed him onto his knees, with his back to Suga. Ice wrapped around his legs and arms, holding him in place. Daishou hissed at the cold, then again when he felt a light touch on one of his wings. 

Suga crouched behind Daishou, keeping one hand on the lightning fae's wing as he brought up his air magic. Suga took a moment to study the dark, delicate green membranes, then brought his air magic to bear. Daishou's whole body tensed, then jerked against the ice holding him in place as agony, excruciatingly sharp and concentrated, trailed down his wings. He screamed, and screamed. When he went limp in his icy restrains, mouth still gaping as though he was screaming but in so much pain that he couldn't remember how to inhale enough air to make a sound, a light fluttering sound followed by several horrible little flops announced the removal of enough of his wing membranes that even once they healed, he wouldn't have enough of his wings left to fly. His vision swam, and there was a roaring in his ears. 

He heard a faint whimper above the roar, but it took him a second to realize that the sound had come from him. 

The ice faded, and Daishou slumped sideways without the restrains holding him in place. Futakuchi darted forward and caught him, holding him gently. Daishou wrapped his arms around Futakuchi's waist and hid his face in the earth fae's stomach, trying to muffle the awful whimpering noise he was making. It occurred to him then why Futakuchi would always cling to Daishou, even after Daishou shocked him. Among all of the pain, the physical contact grounded him, kept him from feeling like he was going to go insane from the screaming agony in his wings - what was left of them, anyway. 

"That was much more effective than my usual punishment for disobeying orders. I think that's enough," Ushijima's voice commented. Daishou barely heard it, but he heard Sugawara's bitter reply loud and clear. 

"No physical pain can come close to how much I miss Daichi," Suga snapped. Daishou wasn't sure what that meant, and for a moment, it seemed Ushijima didn't, either. Then Suga added, "Futakuchi." Daishou heard the name through the haze of the throbbing remnants of his wings, but didn't know why Suga would be saying it. "Give me Futakuchi, and we'll see how Daishou likes losing someone close to him." There was something dark and sharp in Suga's voice, something that finally made Daishou realize.

He'd taken the person Suga cared about most, and losing his wings - losing the skies and the feeling of wind rushing around him on all sides and the sun on his wings - wasn't enough. Suga was going to take the one person Daishou cared about at all, the one person he'd do anything to keep beside him. 

Futakuchi belonged to  _Daishou,_ and he didn't want anyone else to have him. 

"No." Daishou meant for it to be a protest, but it came out a whine. He tightened his arms around Futakuchi's waist. "Kenji is mine." 

"Not anymore," Ushijima replied roughly, nudging the wounded fae with his foot, jostling his damaged wings and making him scream. "If you're good, maybe you'll get him back eventually." Daishou's arms were pried away from Futakuchi by a rush of air magic. 

"Suguru?" Futakuchi whimpered as he was pulled away. It had been years since Futakuchi was away from Daishou's side, and his captor's presence was the one constant in his life besides pain. 

"It will be okay," Suga murmured, guiding Futakuchi away from Daishou. 

"I have to stay with Suguru," Futakuchi protested, twisting to look back at Daishou, who lay crumpled on the floor, eyes glazed over with pain as he stared after Futakuchi. "He's hurt, I can't leave him." Distantly, Daishou heard the door open and then close, Futakuchi's voice fading as Suga led him away. 

"You should have followed orders," Ushijima said coldly. "I'll send someone to take you to your room and make sure you don't die." Then Ushijima was gone, too, leaving Daishou on the floor to lose himself in the pain. 


	23. Winter History

Suga closed the door to his room in Ushijima's suite, which he'd been given after promising to stay by the Winter Lord's side, and sighed, glancing at Futakuchi, who stood silently against the wall. 

"You can sit down, you know," Suga said, gesturing to the bed, the only furniture in the room. Futakuchi met his gaze with an empty one of his own. 

"Did you take me from Suguru so you could have someone besides Ushijima in your bed one last time?" Futakuchi asked quietly. Suga blinked, then frowned. 

"What? Of course not. I just..." Suga sighed. "I thought you might be tired. You do a lot of standing, don't you?"

"So this is just about hurting Suguru," Futakuchi said. "He took your lover from you, so you want to hurt him the same way." There was a pause, and then he added quietly, "Are you going to kill me?" He sounded almost...hopeful when he said that, and it made Suga tense. 

"No, I'm not going to kill you. Daishou is the one who gave you those scars on your neck, right?" he asked. "Aren't you glad to be away from him?" Futakuchi's expression slipped into his usual blank, empty look. 

"Suguru just wants to keep me close to him," Futakuchi said, the words coming out in an awful monotone. "The scars on my neck are just a reminder that I belong to him." Suga stared at him, mingled horror and pity in his eyes. A spark of emotion entered the monotone, but it was desperation, dread, and hopelessness. "Eventually, Suguru will get me back. He always gets what he wants. And when he has me again, you taking me from him will only make things worse for me." 

"What do you mean? How can things get worse?" Suga demanded. Futakuchi was Daishou's prize, and the scars on his neck showed that Daishou hadn't been gentle about getting Futakuchi to accept his place. Suga knew Futakuchi probably had the worst life of the Winter fae, aside from Oikawa's group, so how...?

"Suguru doesn't like to share," was all Futakuchi said. Suga clenched his jaw in determination.

"Well, if I have my way, he won't get near you ever again," Suga said firmly. Futakuchi just shook his head. 

"You don't understand. I want to go back to him. Without Suguru...I don't know who I am anymore."

* * *

 

Akaashi was still searching Daishou's rooms for Kageyama's wings when the door opened, and Akaashi whirled, ready to freeze Daishou, only to find that while Daishou had returned, he wasn't walking on his own, and Futakuchi wasn't with him. Instead, one of the low-ranked Winter fae was half carrying a quietly whimpering Daishou. For a second, Akaashi was stunned into silence by the fact that  _Daishou_ was  _whimpering_ , eyes glazed with pain. Then he saw the remnants of his wings, and Akaashi's own burned wings twitched in sympathy. 

"Ushijima said not to heal him," said the low-ranked fae, a bored-looking man Akaashi only vaguely recognized as being under Daishou's command. Kuguri something, if Akaashi remembered right. 

"He'll go into shock and die," Akaashi replied quietly. "And while I wouldn't be opposed to that..."

"Ushijima might object," Kuguri agreed. "But he told me not to." Akaashi hesitated.

"Leave him with me," Akaashi told him. Kuguri tilted his head, then shrugged and lowered Daishou to the floor before leaving. Akaashi crossed the room and stood over Daishou. Ignoring the horrible things he had done, Daishou knew Bokuto was alive. If he managed to survive, and Akaashi didn't help him, he could tell Ushijima about Bokuto's survival. Akaashi considered helping him along with the whole dying of shock thing, but knew that Ushijima might find out somehow, and then Akaashi would be in trouble again. 

"I'll keep your secret," Daishou hissed, hauling himself into a sitting position. "I'll keep Bokuto's survival hidden. Just don't let me die." Akaashi crouched. 

"Why should I?" he snapped, glaring into the lightning fae's unfocused eyes. 

"I tried to be nice," Daishou growled, swaying and nearly falling over. He caught himself and glared at Akaashi. "Help me, or when I die, Ushijima will find Kageyama's wings, along with a note explaining what they are, as well as the fact that Bokuto, Kuroo, and Yahaba are all alive." Akaashi tensed, and Daishou swayed again, this time not catching himself before he fell to the floor again. His eyes fluttered shut, and Akaashi stared at him for a second. 

"Shit." He reached out, sending water magic through the injured fae, healing just enough of the damage to his wings that he wouldn't die when he woke up. Akaashi grimaced, debating leaving him there, but then decided that Daishou might not know for sure that Akaashi had actually helped him if he just left him on the floor. So Akaashi reluctantly hauled Daishou to his bed, wondering where Futakuchi was, because in all of Akaashi's time at the Winter Court, he had only seen Daishou without Futakuchi a handful of times. Even at banquets - Ushijima hosted them occasionally, to keep up appearances with the other Courts and with the newcomers - Futakuchi was at Daishou's side. Of course, during those formal events, Futakuchi's usual plain clothing was traded for softer, more flowing clothes, decorated with jewels in settings that matched the delicate but heavy chains that linked the tips of Futakuchi's wings, weighing them down. Akaashi shuddered just remembering those chains, and the way the neckline of Futakuchi's formal attire always emphasized the scarring around his neck. He really, really wanted to dump Daishou on the floor again, but turned and left the room instead. 

If Futakuchi wasn't with Daishou, then something was horribly wrong. 

Well. 

More horribly wrong than normal, anyway.

* * *

"You can't be serious," Oikawa blurted out. Ushijima frowned, and Oikawa yelped as pain flared in his chest. "You're pushing yourself too hard," Oikawa insisted, staggering as the pain grew. Iwaizumi resisted the urge to reach out and steady Oikawa, instead fixing his gaze on the floor. "What will Sugawara do if you overload yourself and die because you rushed with the circlets?" Oikawa choked out as he fell to his knees, shaking as wave after wave of agony swept over him. 

"Don't use Koushi to get me to go along with whatever you're thinking," Ushijima growled. 

"Wakatoshi, he's right," Sugawara announced, walking into the room, Futakuchi trailing after him and looking kind of lost. Oikawa glanced up at the sound of Suga's voice and froze.

"No. No, no, please tell me you  _didn't,_ " Oikawa whispered. Suga frowned at him, then followed his gaze to Futakuchi, who was staring at the ground. 

"Oikawa," Ushijima said warningly. Oikawa knew he should stop, knew better than to keep talking, but he couldn't let his own mistakes be repeated by someone else, not without trying to stop them. 

"You took Futakuchi away from Daishou?" Oikawa hissed, glaring from Ushijima to Sugawara and back. "Don't you know what he'll do once he gets him back? It'll be months before Futakuchi is well enough to walk around again. Every ounce of anger, resentment, shame...everything Daishou feels will be taken out on Futakuchi. The last time anyone even  _suggested_  they might be separated, even the soundproofing wards on Daishou's rooms couldn't contain the screams. We lost three low-ranking fae to suicide because they couldn't stand hearing it anymore. Four healers passed out from exhaustion from healing what Daishou did to him."

"What Daishou does with what's his is his own business," Ushijima said flatly. Oikawa opened his mouth to protest, but his words were replaced with a scream as magic-induced pain shot through him. Oikawa doubled over, choking back a wail of agony, and Ushijima planted a foot on his back, pressing down on his wings. Oikawa gave up trying to suppress the noise and cried out. "You never have known when to shut up when it comes to Futakuchi, have you?" the Winter Lord muttered. "Well, this is your warning. Shut up." 

"Besides," Suga broke in. "All of that is only a risk if Daishou ever gets Futakuchi back." Ushijima tilted his head and removed his foot from Oikawa's back. "Daishou has already shown he can't follow orders as well as you thought, Wakatoshi, and I don't think he's using Futakuchi to his full potential, either. You said I could have Futakuchi, but Daishou might get him back eventually if he behaved. Leave Futakuchi with me, permanently, and I think you'll like the results." To emphasize his words, Suga moved closer to Ushijima, subtly turning him away from Oikawa and pulling him down for a brief kiss. Ushijima sighed and wrapped his arms around Suga's waist, obviously about to give in and agree. 

"I want to go back to Suguru," Futakuchi said quietly. 

"Futakuchi is extremely loyal to Daishou," Ushijima murmured. "I'll make you a deal, Koushi. If you can convince him to shift his loyalty to you before Daishou earns him back, he's yours." Suga beamed and stretched up to kiss Ushijima's cheek. Futakuchi closed his eyes, his wings lowering and laying flat against his back as he tried to make himself look smaller.  

"Thank you. Now, about you overreaching and burning yourself out by moving too quickly with the Circlets," Suga said, frowning. Ushijima's lips twitched upwards. 

"All right, I'll wait," he said reassuringly. Suga smiled and linked his arm through Ushijima's. 

"Good," he chirped, tugging Ushijima toward the door. "Come on, Futakuchi, let's go," he called over his shoulder. 

For an instant, Suga's eyes met Oikawa's, and the water fae saw a sea of doubt, fear, regret, and determination there. Then Suga's expression cleared, and he turned back to Ushijima, smile fixed firmly in place. As soon as they were gone, Iwaizumi dropped to his knees beside Oikawa. 

"Are you okay?" he asked, resting a hand gently on Oikawa's shoulder. Oikawa took a deep breath and nodded. 

"Yeah. I'm fine. Ushijima used his ability to hurt people without causing physical damage," he replied, getting to his feet. Iwaizumi stayed where he was for a moment, staring up at Oikawa. "What is it?"

"What Ushijima said...about you not knowing when to shut up when it comes to Futakuchi..." Iwaizumi trailed off, noting the way Oikawa's wings twitched and his shoulders hunched defensively. 

"If I had kept my mouth shut about how Daishou and Futakuchi first got together, before Daishou broke him to keep him close, Futakuchi might still be...well. Not broken. And there are several other times I've tried to get under Daishou's skin or just protest how he treats Futakuchi...it never ends well for him," Oikawa admitted. "The person who suggested separating them? That was me. I asked Daishou if he chained Futakuchi's wings for a banquet because he was afraid Futakuchi would fly away." Oikawa sighed. "Whenever I've tried to help him, I've just made things worse." 

"Once Ushijima is gone, you'll be able to help him for real," Iwaizumi said, because that was all he could think of to say. Oikawa nodded silently. Then he shook himself, and Iwaizumi saw the determined, cold expression Oikawa had worn for years when he was in public fall into place. 

"Let's collect Semi and Akaashi," Oikawa said calmly. "We need to plan, and Sugawara bought us time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brought to you by: Futakuchi's pain being discussed by pretty much everyone!


	24. Summer Merge

"We need to get in contact with Oikawa somehow," Yahaba grumbled, pacing back and forth across the room. Kuroo, sprawled on his stomach on the couch with Kenma sitting on the floor as close as he could get, glanced from Yahaba to Bokuto, who was bouncing in place, equally restless. 

"None of us would survive going anywhere near the Winter Palace at this point," Kenma said, frowning.

"And after Semi killed the Summer fae who was guarding me, I probably shouldn't show up there, either," Yahaba added, sighing. "But we still need to coordinate with Oikawa. We could help him. If nothing else, we can cause some trouble and try to alter Ushijima's schedule so whatever Oikawa is planning goes more smoothly." 

"We still can't risk any of us showing up near any of the Courts," Kenma sighed. 

"I can get a message through," Terushima piped up from the doorway. Yahaba blinked. "I can say that I was due to report to Kenma, and he never showed up, so I went to the Winter Palace with information for him." 

"Oikawa knows the names of most of my solitary contacts," Kenma mused, nodding thoughtfully. "It could work."

"He could say he has information about the fae who attacked Daishou," Yahaba suggested. 

"Won't it be dangerous?" Bokuto asked. "If someone finds out he's helping us..."

"I'll be fine," Terushima replied with a shrug. "Even if something happens, as long as I let Oikawa know that you guys are okay and ready to help, it's fine, right?" 

"I'd rather not have more people's deaths on my hands, so if it looks like they're not buying it, get out," Yahaba told him. "Oikawa can probably manage without us if he has to." 

"I ignored Bokuto's insistence that something was wrong in the Winter Court for years," Terushima said grimly. "I'll get through to Oikawa so you guys can coordinate, whatever it takes." Yahaba hesitated, exchanging a wary glance with Kenma.

"It will be okay," Kenma said quietly. "Bokuto managed to drive him off, but not kill him. He might not have the Summer Circlet anymore, but Terushima can take care of himself."

"So could Akaashi," Yahaba snapped. Bokuto froze, no longer bouncing in place. 

"It's nice of you to be all worried, but-" Yahaba was across the room in a second and had Terushima pinned to the floor before he could finish his sentence. 

"This is the second time I've pinned you with no problem. Oikawa can beat me in a fight easily. Daishou can beat him. If you're found out,  _you will die_ ," Yahaba hissed. 

"If he's lucky," Kenma pointed out. Terushima didn't have anything to say to that. 

* * *

Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Semi, and Akaashi were in the tower meeting room, sitting in silence. Tears trailed down Semi's cheeks, and Oikawa's eyes were closed. Akaashi and Oikawa had exchanged knowledge about Daishou's punishment, and they were trying to decide what to do with this information. There was a knock at the door, and Semi, the one closest to it, went to open it. Before Oikawa saw who was there, Semi snarled and slammed the door shut again. 

"Semi? Who's there?" Oikawa asked. Semi didn't answer. There was another knock, and this time, when Semi opened the door, he immediately sent a bolt of lightning magic straight into the face of whoever was standing there. There was a scream, and Oikawasnapped, "Semi!" The lightning fae stopped shocking whoever was at teh door and stepped back, revealing Daishou clinging to the doorway to stay upright, the remains of his wings smoking as he glared at Semi. 

"It's his fault Kenjirou is dead!" Semi snapped. 

"If you kill Daishou, you'll be in more trouble than I can save you from," Oikawa hissed. Daishou chuckled weakly.

"You're already in more trouble than Tooru can save you from," Daishou commented. "And you're all aware that I have proof of it." Flames sparked around Iwaizumi, and Akaashi flinched even as icicles formed around him. "Now, Keiji, remember that if I die, all of that evidence will be found." Akaashi scowled, and the icicles vanished. 

"What do you want, Suguru?" Oikawa snapped. Daishou managed to straighten so he wasn't leaning on the door frame anymore. 

"I want Kenji back, and I want to repay Sugawara for the removal of my wings. But first of all, I want to help you kill Ushijima," Daishou announced. 

* * *

Magic erupted, a storm of energy strong enough that every fae in all four Courts could sense it. 

Futakuchi shuddered and curled in on himself, shaking. 

Sugawara smiled grimly. 

Oikawa swore. 

Akaashi and Iwaizumi exchanged uncertain glances.

Semi hissed in distaste as Daishou stumbled into him.

In the Spring Court, Ennoshita tensed and glanced uncertainly at Asahi, who lay unmoving, barely breathing, having just barely survived his battle with Oikawa and Iwaizumi. 

In the Autumn Court, Hanamaki and Matsukawa squeezed each other's hands. They weren't sure what was happening, but they knew it wasn't good, not when it was coming from the direction of the Winter Court.

In the Summer Court, Nishinoya scowled as familiar magic washed over him, full of sun and heat lightning and warm water and a soft breeze and loose, fertile soil. That was the Summer Circlet, its energy enhanced and laced with the fresh feeling of Spring and the harsh clarity of Winter.

And beyond the gardens, Kuroo and Bokuto frowned in unison, as Yahaba and Kenma tensed. 

Terushima, still pinned beneath Yahaba, tilted his head in confusion. 

Ushijima stood with his eyes closed, taking in the power that now thrummed in his veins. 

One heartbeat.

Two. 

Ushijima opened his eyes. Sugawara had stepped toward him, concern flaring in his eyes. 

"I thought you were going to wait," Sugawara whispered.

"I did. I waited for half a day, almost. And by tomorrow night, my next wait will be over, and I'll be the Fairy King," Ushijima replied. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah surprise, Asahi's still alive. He technically didn't die; Suga kept Iwaizumi from finishing him off, remember? So yeah. He's alive. You're welcome. 
> 
> Now don't get mad at me when I kill people later.


	25. Complete Power

"Ushijima shouldn't have this much power yet," Yahaba hissed. "Even if he took on the Spring Circlet as soon as you two left the Spring Court, he shouldn't be ready to take on Summer yet," he added, frowning at Kenma and Kuroo.

"Maybe he's stronger than we thought," Kenma sighed.

"I can't  _stand_ the thought of Ushijima with  _my_ Circlet," Bokuto hissed. Yahaba glanced at Bokuto, then shook his head and turned back to Kenma.

"Even if he's a lot stronger than we thought, pushing this fast is a risk," Yahaba insisted. "Surely he'll have to take at least a few days to get used to the new power levels."

"Only if he wants to use the full power," Terushima piped up. Yahaba and Kenma frowned at him. "Well, it takes a while to use the full potential of the circlets, but you can use magic you already had just fine even before you get used to the added power." 

"That's true," Bokuto agreed. "It took a while to get used to using other kinds of magic, especially at the same time. But my fire magic was the same as always if I didn't try to do anything else at the same time." Kuroo nodded his agreement. Yahaba and Kenma exchanged worried glances.

"Won't the magic still overload him if he's not used to it?"

"With more than one Circlet, probably," Terushima agreed. "Even if he managed three with out one, for the fourth, unless he's got an anchor, someone who's used to channeling Circlet energy, he'll be in trouble if he doesn't wait."

"Sugawara," Kenma whispered. Yahaba's eyes widened in horror. 

"With Tendou dead, and with Ushijima thinking Kuroo and Bokuto are dead - if Daishou was telling the truth - then Sugawara is his only choice for an anchor," Yahaba realized. He shot a glance at the three former Lords. "If someone were an anchor, would they be at risk?"

"They wouldn't be able to move while the magic is channeling through them," Terushima answered. "But as long as they don't try to use any magic, it should be fine."

"And if they do try to use magic?" Kenma asked quietly. 

"They could be stripped of their ability to ever use magic again," Kuroo replied grimly. Kenma and Yahaba exchanged frowns. 

"We need to tell Oikawa," Kenma said. 

"Surely Sugawara knows," Yahaba replied. 

"That doesn't mean he'll tell Oikawa," Kenma replied. Yahaba sighed and glanced at Terushima.

"Fine. You're the spy, Kenma, you decide on the message," Yahaba said. Kenma studied him for a moment, then nodded. Yahaba turned and slipped out the front door, hopping into the air just long enough to fly to the roof and land there. He closed his eyes and laid back, shifting a little to lay comfortably with his wings against the roof. 

"Does the idea of contacting Oikawa worry you that much?" Terushima's voice asked. Yahaba laughed humorlessly.

"No. But the idea of sending someone into the hell I was willing to die to escape does," he replied. Terushima sat beside him. 

"Kenma doesn't talk much, and when he does talk when he comes to get information, he hardly ever says anything about what it's like. Just that it's bad," Terushima said. Yahaba shrugged. 

"Did you know Kageyama?" he asked. Terushima blinked.

"The solitary water fae with the scars? Yeah, everyone knows him," Terushima answered.

"He came from Winter," Yahaba said flatly. Terushima was silent for a long moment. 

"You know, I'm not going to get killed delivering the message," he said finally. "I'll make sure Oikawa knows about the anchor thing, and knows you and the others are ready to help if he needs it, and then I'll come back here." There was a pause, and then Terushima added, "You could stay here, you know. Whoever wins, you don't have to go back to the Winter Court." Yahaba opened one eye and studied him. Terushima wasn't looking at him. Instead, the solitary fae was staring off in the direction of the Summer gardens. 

"You don't know me," Yahaba commented. "You could hate me." 

"I'd never hate someone as pretty as you," Terushima told him seriously. Yahaba blinked at him, and Terushima twisted to wink at him. Yahaba's lips twitched into something that was almost a smile. 

"Nice to know what your priorities are," he teased. Terushima grinned. 

"Hey, I'm just trying to be honest. That's how you make friends, right?" Terushima pointed out. Yahaba raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh, is that what you want?" he asked. Terushima's grin just got wider. 

* * *

The wave of magic rose, and this time, Oikawa was in the room. Ushijima had summoned Oikawa and Daishou, and Oikawa had brought Iwaizumi along, because now that he was allowed to keep the fire fae close, Oikawa understood a little better why Daishou hadn't let Futakuchi out of his sight voluntarily in a long time. Sugawara was also in the room, Futakuchi at his side. 

Daishou's gaze had been immediately drawn to Futakuchi, watching him almost desperately. Oikawa, on the other hand, had focused on the fact that Ushijima held the Autumn Circlet in his hands. 

Ushijima hadn't spoken. They all knew they were there to protect him, to witness his rise to kingship of the fae. 

The surge of magic nearly knocked them off their feet, full of  _crisp wind and chill and warm sun and a swirl of heat lightning and soft spring rain and harsh icy cold_. 

Sugawara gasped, some of the magic streaming into him. 

Another surge of magic, and Sugawara fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the rush of magic passing through him. 

Oikawa staggered, buffeted by the excess magic that swirled, almost hurricane-like, around the room, with Ushijima at the center.

Then the magic vanished, and Ushijima's eyes closed. 

One heartbeat. 

Two.

Then Oikawa moved.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Did Terushima get there in time? Does Oikawa successfully kill Ushijima? Whose side is Daishou on? 
> 
> To answer these questions, I will be posting several different endings. Right now, I have five planned. They will be:  
> Oikawa's Ending, Iwaizumi's Ending, Ushijima's Ending, Yahaba's Ending, Daishou's Ending  
> and will be posted as oneshots. 
> 
> You're free to pick whichever ending(s) you want to read.

**Author's Note:**

> Current death count for the series overall: 10
> 
> Oops.
> 
> Everyone please take the time to admire the amazingness that is Siren's art of this AU. Links are in the series notes.


End file.
